HISTORY is full of individuals – kings, scientists and sages – who have tried to achieve immortality.

Over the years, we have made some progress. We are living longer. Life expectancy has increased the world over with improvement in hygiene and health care. Certainly, we have become wealthier and want to live longer to enjoy our wealth. We also know more about diseases and how our bodies function.

 

Humans can live past 100 years now. Indeed, the fastest growing segment of the American population is centenarians.

 

But can we live 10 times longer? Can we live to be a 1,000?

 

Cambridge University geneticist Aubrey de Grey has famously stated: “The first person to live to be 1,000 years old is certainly alive today… whether they realise it or not, barring accidents and suicide, most people now 40 years or younger can expect to live for centuries.”

 

Is de Gray too optimistic? One thing is for sure. He is not a lone scientist who thinks humans can live longer. There is a growing number on the virtual fountain of youth bandwagon. Among them are scientists, doctors, geneticists and nanotech experts – many with impeccable academic credentials.

 

And they are adamant that there is no reason why ageing can’t be dramatically slowed or even prevented altogether.

 

Not only is it theoretically possible, they argue, but a scientifically achievable goal that can and should be reached in time to benefit those alive today.

 

Michael Rose -a professor of evolutionary biology at the University of. California, Irvine, who has achieved breakthrough results extending the lives of fruit flies – says he “is working on immortality”.

 

Even the US government is on the bandwagon. Federal funding for “the biology of ageing” has been running at about US$2.4 billion (RM7.68 billion) a year, according to the National Institute of Ageing which is part of the National Institutes of Health.

 

And this does not even include work on heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s.

 

Anti-ageing scientists have found ways to extend live spans of a range of organisms. It used to be fruit flies and other insects.

 

However, of late, they have progressed to mammals. But genetic research is not the only field that may hold the key to eternity.

 

“There are many components of ageing and we are chipping away at all of them,” said Robert Freitas at the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing, a non-profit, nanotech group in Palo Alto, California. He predicts that the diseases of ageing will be cured in two decades!

 

But not everyone thinks ageing can or should be cured. Some say that the human genetic system is designed to allow us to live to be about 120 years old. I have never seen any credible evidence of anyone older.

 

But does that mean that human life span will always be limited to 120? There are incredible, radical innovations going on in bio and nanotechnology that will extend life spans by 20 to 50 years.

 

I suspect that many of you would be happy to live to be 100 or 120. But the important thing is to be alive with strong bodies and sane minds. We want to be a blessing and not a burden to our kids and their families.

 

The key is avoiding premature ageing. There are three things that you can do.

 

Eat right: Eat like nature intended. Eat a little and only as much as needed. Eat wholesome, unprocessed foods. Eat fresh produce whenever possible. Avoid refined foods that have been stripped of all their nutrients. Avoid chemical colours, flavours and preservatives.

 

Eat lots of fruit, vegetables and nuts. Avoid sugar and grains. Quite simply, consuming sugar and grains is the equivalent of slamming your foot down on the ageing accelerator!

 

Exercise right: There is a simple rule about your skeletal and macular system – use it or lose it! You need to move. It stresses out the bones and muscles positively.

 

Keep the mind fit: Relax. Take a break. Meditate. Sleep well. Rest. Take a vacation. Pursue a hobby. Learn a new language. Your brain needs stimulation and rest. This will keep its “software and hardware” in sync and working at its peak.

 

It is never too late. Start today. Tomorrow will be better. It does not matter what you have done in your past or how sick you are. The future can always be better.

 

It saddens me to see people in their 50s, 60s and beyond who think they are “too old” to make changes for the better. This is completely false!

 

Even if you add another good year to your natural life span, it will be worth it. Your kids and grandkids will be pleased. Humanity will be better served. Your life will be more meaningful.

 

Who knows, new science on the horizon may bring on a “new elixir of life”. Just keep working at it.

 

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