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Dutch scientists say human lifespan has limits
medicalxpress.com ^ | August 31, 2017

Posted on 08/31/2017 11:45:12 AM PDT by Red Badger

Dutch researchers claimed Thursday to have discovered the maximum age "ceiling" for human lifespan, despite growing life expectancy because of better nutrition, living conditions and medical care.

Mining data from some 75,000 Dutch people whose exact ages were recorded at the time of death, statisticians at Tilburg and Rotterdam's Erasmus universities pinned the maximum ceiling for female lifespan at 115.7 years.

Men came in slightly lower at 114.1 years in the samples taken from the data which spans the last 30 years, said Professor John Einmahl, one of three scientists conducting the study.

"On average, people live longer, but the very oldest among us have not gotten older over the last thirty years," Einmahl told AFP.

"There is certainly some kind of a wall here. Of course the average life expectancy has increased," he said, pointing out the number of people turning 95 in The Netherlands had almost tripled.

"Nevertheless, the maximum ceiling itself hasn't changed," he said.

Lifespan is the term used to describe how long an individual lives, while life expectancy is the average duration of life that individuals in an age group can expect to have—a measure of societal wellbeing.

The Dutch findings come in the wake of those by US-based researchers who last year claimed a similar age ceiling, but who added that exceptionally long-lived individuals were not getting as old as before.

Einmahl and his researchers disputed the latter finding, saying their conclusions deduced by using a statistical brand called "Extreme Value Theory", showed almost no fluctuation in maximum lifespan.

Einmahl said however there were still some people who had bent the norm, like Frenchwomen Jeanne Calment who died at the ripe old age of 122 years and 164 days.

Calment remains the oldest verified woman to date.

Extreme Value Theory is a brand of statistics that measures data and answers questions at extreme ends of events such as lifespan or disasters.

Einmahl said his group's findings will be submitted for publication in a peer review magazine "within the next month or so."

Explore further: Maximum human lifespan has already been reached, researchers conclude


TOPICS: Food; Gardening; Health/Medicine; Religion
KEYWORDS: aging; dune; geriatrics; spice
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To: Red Badger

Governments just keep shoveling out grants to the Institute for the Study of the Bleedin’ Obvious.


21 posted on 08/31/2017 12:01:58 PM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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To: Puppage

Noah died 350 years after the flood, at the age of 950, the last of the extremely long-lived antediluvian Patriarchs. The maximum human lifespan, as depicted by the Bible, diminishes rapidly thereafter, from almost 1,000 years to the 120 years of Moses.


22 posted on 08/31/2017 12:02:31 PM PDT by Red Badger (Road Rage lasts 5 minutes. Road Rash lasts 5 months!.....................)
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To: KC_Lion

Keith found the absolute perfect balance of nicotine, alcohol, and bacon. Micro-organisms are unable to exist in that environment, he is immune to disease.


23 posted on 08/31/2017 12:03:19 PM PDT by BBQToadRibs
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To: Red Badger

“It is appointed unto man once to die, and after that the judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27)

There will never be everlasting life on this earth. Only in the next.


24 posted on 08/31/2017 12:05:27 PM PDT by txrefugee (.)
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To: apillar

“... your brain essentially runs out of “storage” capacity.”

Mine did a long time ago. Ask my missus.


25 posted on 08/31/2017 12:05:50 PM PDT by beelzepug (H,MN! WIAM? DMS!)
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To: Red Badger
120 years max is what the Bible says.

No, it does not.

That was the amount of time that Noah had before the flood arrived.

How some people have decided that that translates into the maximum life span is puzzling.

26 posted on 08/31/2017 12:05:53 PM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (Not a Romantic, not a hero worshiper and stop trying to tug my heartstrings. It tickles! (pink bow))
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To: txrefugee

Well, not on THIS Earth, but the NEW ONE!.....................


27 posted on 08/31/2017 12:06:14 PM PDT by Red Badger (Road Rage lasts 5 minutes. Road Rash lasts 5 months!.....................)
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To: Red Badger

Maybe if the Dutch stopped offing old people, those old people may live a bit longer.


28 posted on 08/31/2017 12:07:58 PM PDT by BobL (In Honor of the NeverTrumpers, I declare myself as FR's first 'Imitation NeverTrumper')
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To: Harmless Teddy Bear

Genesis 6
New International Version (NIV)
Wickedness in the World

6 When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with[a] humans forever, for they are mortal[b]; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”


29 posted on 08/31/2017 12:12:37 PM PDT by Red Badger (Road Rage lasts 5 minutes. Road Rash lasts 5 months!.....................)
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To: apillar

I see lots of people age 90+ because my M-in-law is in a nursing home. She is 90. I certainly do not wish to look like anyone in that place who is over 90. ALL those 90+ look like death warmed over. They are alive, but what kind of quality of life is that? They can hardly walk, can’t eat much, eye sight is bad, hearing is bad, no sex of course, and no travel. I think I am going to say adios at 90. In the meanwhile living it up while the body is in great shape.


30 posted on 08/31/2017 12:16:16 PM PDT by entropy12 (Why Republicans woo & pursue people who will never vote for them (liberals & media) ?)
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To: Harmless Teddy Bear

Doesn’t the Bible say “three score and ten”? BTW, for anyone not familiar with it, read the story about Jeanne Calment, the French lady who died at 122+. She’s the one who got over on a lawyer in a real estate deal on her home. Pretty funny. Happened in 1991.


31 posted on 08/31/2017 12:20:35 PM PDT by beelzepug (H,MN! WIAM? DMS!)
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To: Red Badger

32 posted on 08/31/2017 12:21:09 PM PDT by Vaquero (Don't pick a fight with an old guy. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you. .)
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To: Tennessee Nana

If you lived to be 180, 90 would only be middle-aged....


33 posted on 08/31/2017 12:24:12 PM PDT by alloysteel (Guilty until proven innocent, while denying defense, justice, mercy or any appeal. No pardon, ever.)
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To: Red Badger

He came to that conclusion after how many years on government grants?


34 posted on 08/31/2017 12:30:39 PM PDT by GingisK
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To: Red Badger
For those of us who have received Jesus Christ, the first death is passed

we are buried with him by baptism into death...our old man is crucified with him
Rom 6:4, 6.

and we are resurrected with him.

he raised us from the dead along with Christ
Eph 2:6 (NIV)

Therefore, the second death has no power over us

This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power
Rev 20:5-6.

if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away...
2 Cor 5:17 (NKJV)
there [is] no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither [is] there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Rev 21:4.


35 posted on 08/31/2017 12:33:13 PM PDT by Jim W N
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To: Puppage

Methuselah was the record holder at 969. Hence the expression as old as Methuselah.


36 posted on 08/31/2017 12:40:35 PM PDT by xp38
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To: apillar

In 1993 at my Vietnamese language church there was a funeral that the old ladies all insisted that I must attend. it was for the “grandmother of grandmothers.” I didn’t know the significance of that epithet until I saw the picture on the coffin with her dates. 1880-1993. She was no more than 4’10” and 75 pounds. When Thuy came to America she was already 100 years old. This year a fellow in the parish celebrates his 102nd birthday. Het is still pretty healthy and says it is because he avoids doctors.


37 posted on 08/31/2017 12:46:00 PM PDT by ThanhPhero
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To: Vaquero

Niet “Netherlands.” Het is Nederland.


38 posted on 08/31/2017 12:50:04 PM PDT by ThanhPhero
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To: ThanhPhero
Not to English speaking people
39 posted on 08/31/2017 12:54:02 PM PDT by Vaquero (Don't pick a fight with an old guy. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you. .)
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To: Red Badger

Well the Bible also contains a lengthy list of those who lived centuries. Moses would be prominent on the list.


40 posted on 08/31/2017 12:56:30 PM PDT by t4texas (Remember the Alamo!)
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