Life expectancy has increased significantly over the past century, fromabout 30 years in 1900 to about 73 years in 2020. To the point that some wonder if it would be possible to live beyond 120 years and thus surpass the record set by Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 at the age of 122. Now the question is not just to live longer, but to stay healthy as long as possible. This healthy life expectancy has also increased in recent decades. According to data from the Directorate of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics, in France, life expectancy without disability at age 65 has progressed since 2008 by almost two yearsThis good news in France could reflect a more global trend, according to a study published on December 19, 2024 in the journal Nature Aging. In it, researchers from University College London, Columbia University in New York and the World Health Organization analyzed the aging of seniors born since 1920 in the United Kingdom and China, showing that more recent generations are entering this period of life in better health than their predecessors.
British seniors are ageing better
To make this comparison between generations of seniors, the authors designed a measure called “intrinsic capacity,” which synthesizes all the physical and cognitive capacities of an individual at a given moment. This measure takes into account psychological aspects (whether the person feels depressed or happy, whether they sleep well, etc.), cognitive aspects (such as short- and long-term memory), as well as physical aspects such as walking speed, balance, strength and breathing capacity. According to the authors, this set of data makes it possible to take into account the natural aging of the person as well as any illness that hinders their daily life or any medical intervention that improves it.
This “intrinsic capacity” was measured in nearly 15,000 British people over the age of 60, born between the 1920s and the 1950s.e century. Not surprisingly, this capacity declined with age for all generations, reflecting the normal declines in health as we age. But this decline was more rapid in older generations. In addition, seniors born in the 1950s entered old age with higher capacities than those born in earlier decades. For example, a 68-year-old born in 1950 was in better shape than a 62-year-old born in 1940.
70 years old, "the new 60 years"
These results were confirmed with a second cohort, with 11,000 Chinese born between the 1920s and the 1950s. Like the British, Chinese seniors from the most recent generations entered old age in better shape than their ancestors. And the aging of those born more recently was also slower than for those born earlier.
“We were surprised to see how great these improvements were between generations, especially when comparing people born after the 2e World War and those born before, declares in a press release John Beard, an aging expert at Columbia University and author of the study. These trends show that for many people, 70 years old would be the new equivalent of the previous 60 years old.”
A trend that could stagnate
According to the authors, these improvements would have several causes. Socioeconomic, with for example the increase in the rate of educated people in both countries, which would protect their cognition. Access to better nutrition, particularly during childhood, could also have played a protective role. Medical advances of the last century could also have contributed to this improvement in the health of seniors. Not to mention potentially significant events in the lives of these people, such as the Great Depression of 1929, the Second World War, or the Chinese Civil War.
“But it is not certain that these improvements will continue for future generations of seniors." warns John Beard. Because modern problems such as the obesity epidemic that affects much of the globe are worsening the health of current generations and could therefore diminish their "intrinsic capacities" in old age. However, the authors remain optimistic: "This study shows that intrinsic capacity, what really matters for the quality of life of older people, is not fixed, medical research could therefore increase this capacity, it is rather a message of hope for the future,” concludes University of Illinois aging expert Jay Olshansky.
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