Rebecca Manzi According to statistical studies, the maximum limit of human life is 115.7 years for women and 114.1 years for men, with rare exceptions
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Humanity has always been interested in the absolute limits of human lifespan. A statistical study of Tilburg and Rotterdam universities tried to discover the answer to this question by researching the records of 75,000 deceased individuals over a period of 30 years, until 2017.
The task was to discover the longest possible human lifespan, i.e., the age over which, regardless of health issues or medical advancements, the human body cannot continue any longer. The average human lifespan, the researchers say, levels off at about 90 years, and most people make it to the age of 100.
But the research found a top limit of lifespan to be about 115 years. This implies that, even though some have gone beyond this, human biology seems to have a strict upper limit on how long one can live that cannot easily be exceeded.
Women, based on data gathered, tend to have a slight edge over men in lifespan. The top estimated age for women is about 115.7 years, while for men it is about 114.1 years.
Exceptions to this limit
One of the researchers in the study, Professor John Einmahl, observed that while the average human lifespan has increased in the last several decades, the maximum possible age has not varied significantly. This suggests the existence of a biological limit that cannot be easily surmounted despite advances in science and improved standards of living.
There are notable exceptions, however. French nun Sister André passed away in 2023 at the age of 118, and Japanese man Jiroemon Kimura, the longest-lived man ever recorded by the Guinness World Records, lived until the age of 116.
While it has been scientifically established that there is a theoretical limit to the human lifespan, these astounding outliers demonstrate that heredity, lifestyle, and other as yet not well-understood factors may in exceptional cases lead individuals to violate the estimated parameters of longevity.
Source: Medical Xpress
