People living up to 150 years no science fiction: Russian scientist

Moscow, Oct 12 (PTI) Aging can be slowed and living up to 150 years is not science fiction, as people with such potential lifespans are already born and living among us, according to a Russian scientist cited by a health web portal.

“The first people who will live to 150 years have already been born. The centenarians of the future are already among us," Vitaly Kovalyov, a leading specialist at the Volgograd State Medical University project office and host of the BioPolitics channel, was quoted as saying by medzdrav.info, a portal on medical and health issues.

Kovalyov said the goal for the next two decades is to transform scientific theory into safe medical practice.

"There's is every reason to believe that the first people who will live to 150 have already been born. Perhaps they're now 20, 30, or even 40 years old," he said.

Challenging the notion that aging is an irreversible process, Kovalyov said, "This is a misconception... the currently widely discussed prospect of living to 150 is not science fiction. Laboratories are already working on creating compounds that could, in theory, make this possible.” Kovalyov’s comments were an apparent reference to a conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, caught on a hot mic at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on September 3, in which the two leaders discussed aging and longevity.

Putin later confirmed the exchange, saying modern medicine gives hope for longer, healthier lives.

Although no reliable technology currently exists to extend lifespan by more than a few years, scientists are making rapid progress in understanding the mechanisms of aging, the report said.

Modern geroprotectors can already help control some aging factors and reduce the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular ailments, and neurodegenerative diseases, it said.

"Safety is extremely important when it comes to the most precious thing every person has – their life," the Russian scientist added. PTI VS SCY SCY