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Artículo en: Opinión Ver más de: Dumar A. Jaramillo Publicado: 01 Agosto 2024


ARTÍCULO DE REFLEXIÓN

Longevidad: la mejor oportunidad en el siglo XXI Longevity: the best opportunity in the twenty-first century Sandra Milena Castelblanco-Toro.1

1. Médico, especialista en Geriatría. Centro de Memoria y Cognición, Intellectus, Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, Bogotá, Colombia. Instituto de Envejecimiento, Facultad de Medicina Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. Estudiante Doctorado en Neurociencias, Departamento de Psiquiatría. Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. Bogotá, Colombia.

Recibido:

de marzo de 2024

Aceptado:

de marzo de 2024

Correspondencia: sandracastelblanco@javeriana.edu.co

DOI: 10.56050/01205498.2343

Resumen La longevidad es un concepto arraigado en la historia humana y está relacionado con la capacidad de los organismos para permanecer vivos y funcionales durante períodos prolongados. Depende de factores propios del individuo (inmunológicos, genéticos, cardiovasculares y metabólicos), y de factores externos (factores sociales y ambientales) implicados en procesos orgánicos que permiten a un individuo vivir más tiempo y con mejor calidad. El logro de la longevidad ha conducido a la transición demográfica conocida como envejecimiento de la población, que plantea diversos retos y oportunidades. Este artículo explora los conceptos de longevidad, destacando el envejecimiento como una oportunidad, y analiza las implicaciones del aumento de la esperanza de vida de la población; resume datos actualizados sobre la longevidad, la esperanza de vida, el envejecimiento de la población y las oportunidades en sectores como la salud, la economía, la tecnología y la ecología. Además, hace hincapié en la necesidad de cambiar los paradigmas relacionados con el envejecimiento y la longevidad, invitando a considerar este cambio demográfico como un tema que va más allá de la edad, que requiere un enfoque transformador, y la transición de una sociedad envejecida a una sociedad de larga duración.

Palabras clave: Longevidad; Envejecimiento; Envejecimiento poblacional; Oportunidad; Economía plateada.

Abstract

Longevity is a concept rooted in human history and is related to the ability of organisms to remain alive and functional for prolonged periods. It depends on the individual’s factors (immunological, genetic, cardiovascular, and metabolic) and external factors (social and environmental factors) involved in organic processes that allow an individual to live longer and with better quality. The achievement of longevity has led to the demographic transition known as population aging, which poses various challenges and opportunities. This article explores the concepts of longevity, highlighting aging as an opportunity, and analyses the implications of life expectancy for the population. It summarizes up-to-date data on longevity, life expectancy, population aging, and opportunities in health, economics, technology, and ecology. It also emphasizes the need to change paradigms related to aging and longevity, inviting us to consider this demographic change as going beyond age, which requires an approach for the transition from an aged society to a long-lasting society.

Keywords: Longevity, Aging, Population ageing, Opportunity, Silver economy.





We live in a time when longevity is no longer a dream, but a tangible reality. Never before have human beings had so much knowledge, tools and opportunities to live longer. However, this extraordinary achievement is accompanied by a fundamental question:

Do we really live better or simply longer?

In recent decades, advances in medicine, technology and socioeconomic conditions have contributed significantly to the increase inlife expectancy (lifespan) in most developed countries. Today, living beyond 80 years is a common reality in many areas of the world, with the global average rising steadily (WHO, 2021). However, this achievement is accompanied by a growing gap between lifespan and the quality with which it is lived.

The international scientific literature distinguishes increasingly clearly between lifespan-the total number of years lived-and healthspan, or years lived in good health, without significant disability or disabling chronic disease (AGE.MPG.DE; PMC.NCBI.NLM.NIH.GOV). By definition, healthspan is equal to or less than lifespan, and the gap between the two-already wide-is steadily growing. According to a study in JAMA Network Open, in 2019 this gap averaged 9.6 years globally, marking a 13 percent increase since 2000 (Garmany et al., 2024).

This phenomenon can be observed across the board: in the United States, for example, there is a life expectancy of about 78-79 years, compared with only 66-67 years in good health (ScienceDaily.com, 2020). Similarly, in the European Union, 2020 Eurostat data show that individuals live on average 78-82 percent of their lives in optimal health, meaning that more than 15 out of 80 years are often marked by chronic disease or disability (EC.EUROPA.EU, 2022).

This longevity paradox-living longer but in compromised health-has significant individual, health, and economic implications. In clinical settings, an increasing number of older people experience a prolonged phase of functional decline, which profoundly impacts their quality of life. In systemic terms, the cost of age-related chronic diseases is estimated at more than $47 trillion globally over the past two decades, including both direct health care costs and lost productivity (Nature.com, 2021).

Far from being a mere question of age, longevity is shaping up to be a question of quality.

The goal is not simply to add years to life, but life to years.


SEGUIR EXPLORANDO- BUSCADOR: Take On positive Longevity: Time To Write A New Story about longer life

EnciclopediaRelacionalDinamica: ApuntesSobreLongevidadPositiva (última edición 2025-10-12 23:06:12 efectuada por MercedesJones)