Living forever: desire or delusion?

How long would you like to live? That is, of course, if you're healthy and having a good time. Decrepit and dysfunctional, it's hardly worth it. Say then if things are going well ... 30 more years? Fifty maybe? How about forever?

- By Dr Michael Elstein

Flip back just over 100 years and you probably wouldn't even be reading this article. At the beginning of the 20th century, you could expect to live until a miserly 47 years (in the US). Fast forward to the middle of the last century and chances of living a much longer life had improved considerably to around 66 years for men and 71 for women. This was largely due to improved sanitation, babies and children dying less and the power of antibiotics to treat infections. In essence, the average extension of our lives had precious little to do with our own efforts or lifestyles. Technological advances had just rendered us more insulated and protected.

Advance to the end of that century and life expectancy increased to about 78 years. This may have been linked to heart disease prevention, which gained momentum in the early '60s, with a focus on cholesterol and dietary strategies – tactics we've embraced ever since to slow the rise of a modern plague that, to this day, remains the leading cause of premature death in the Western world. Despite the advent of powerful medications and even more potent industrial-strength pharmaceuticals, heart disease remains our primary nemesis.