** Would living more than 100 years be an advantage for the human species? **
I don't think so. First of all, recall that the median lifespan in the late
Paleolithic was about 35 years (see Ward Nicholson's Health & Beyond interview),
that is to say, half of the population died before reaching 35 years old, and
humans have very well survived! Also, the population of the !Kung Bushmen in
1964 was
60+ years: 10%
15-59 yrs: 60%
0-14 yrs: 30%
which means that, once they are adults, they have good chances of reaching 60
years old, but don't live much longer. But even with that "short" longevity,
they know virtually everything about their environment they need.
Remark: with any diet, you will find centenarians. Some people certainly have
such genetic advantages that they would survive with the SADdest nutrition. What
is more interesting is looking at averages (conditions of medical care and
hygiene being equal).
** Is it reasonable to think that the natural lifespan of humans
is 1000 years ? **
This seems such a ridiculous question, but let's address anyway. There have been
many comparisons of lifespans between different species, based on the number of
heartbeats, of breaths, of the metabolism rate, surface, body weight. None of
these theories has been conclusive, but they *very* roughly (with factors 2 or 3
errors) give an idea of the lifespan of a given species. And with whatever
method you determine human lifespan, it's no more than about 100 years.
More recently, scientists have explained natural aging in terms of shortening of
"telomeres". See my post
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?A1=ind9708&L=raw-food&O=T&H=0&D=0&T=1#12
and the subsequent discussion. [They talked about that informally on CBS this
morning, I think that scientists can treat cells with telomerase],
and the number of possible cell divisions (50 for human cells) is well
correlated with telomere length at birth.
Other remarks: no mammal lives more than approximately 100 years. Giant
tortoises live 180 years.
Best wishes,
Jean-Louis
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