Scientists claim maximum human lifespan is 115 years despite records of person living to 122 years and 164 days

Nature study claims maximum human lifespan is 115 years in spite of Jeanne Calment living to 122 years.

The 115-year claim is too much for Prof James Vaupel, the director of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research.

He described the study as a dismal travesty and said scientists had in the past claimed the limit was 65, 85 and 105 only to be proven wrong over and over again.

He said: “In this sorry saga, those convinced that there are looming limits did not apply demography and statistics to test hypotheses about lifespan limits—instead they exploited rhetoric, deficient methods and pretty graphics to attempt to prove their gut feelings.

“[This study] adds nothing to scientific knowledge about how long we will live.”

Jeanne-Louise Calment, the oldest person who ever lived, enjoyed 2.2lbs of chocolate a week. There is no indication that Calment had anything like a semi-optimal lifestyle for longevity. Calment was wealthy.

Wealthy people live ten or more year longer.

Only a fraction of the world’s population has lived in conditions where extreme longevity had a remote possibility.

There are three people living now who are over 116 years of age.

Almost all the verified longevity cases are from the developed countries of the 20th century.

The country must have had enough stability and medical and census system to track the lives of people over 115-125 years.
The country needs to have people not in extreme poverty or with conflict and other life shortening situations.

Longevity enhancing conditions are becoming very common and the record keeping has improved.

Nature – Evidence for a limit to human lifespan