Healthy Long-Lived Human Beings—Working on Life Stages to Break the Limitation of Human Lifespans

Abstract

The human lifespan has been increasing but will soon reach a plateau. A new direction based on the principal law of lifespan (PLOSP) may enable the human lifespan to be extremely healthy and long by the proper manipulation of the well-defined growing stages of the lifespan. The lifespan of creatures on earth from a single cell to animals can be elongated at different life stages including prenatal development, body growth, reproductivity, and aging. Each life stage has its own specific physiological and metabolic characteristics. Each life stage can be lengthened by either slowing its processes or continuously maintaining the activities of its function. Unfortunately, the current biomedical research on the extension of lifespans has mainly focused on the aging stage. Recognizing and clearly defining the periods of transition and the boundaries of life stages are essential for achieving the goal of long-lived healthy humans based on the PLOSP. The biomedical measures and pharmacological treatments for the extension of lifespans is life-stage-specific. The PLOSP can be tested with modified studies on longevity with a variety of technologies such as castration and ovariectomy. Sex differences in biological functions and the sequential order of the life stages requires different approaches for females and males.