Can we really live to 150? Can a pill reverse ageing? Can expensive therapies turn back the biological clock? And is longevity becoming another luxury that only the wealthy can afford?
The longevity industry has no shortage of promises. Supplements, biological-age tests, oxygen therapies and personalised programmes are being marketed as ways to stay younger for longer. But somewhere between scientific breakthroughs and social media excitement, the conversation has become rather muddled.
Dr Marcus Ranney, India-based physician specialising in geroscience and high performance, believes we need to get the terminology right before getting carried away by the promises.
"I prefer to use the term geroscience, which is the biology of ageing," he says. Unlike the loosely used term longevity, geroscience studies the biological processes that influence how we age and whether those processes can be modified.
"Whilst ageing may be inevitable, decline is optional," says Ranney.
It is an appealing thought. But how much control do we really have?
Myth 1: We Can All Live to 150
The prospect of living to 120 or even 150 has become one of longevity's biggest talking points. Ranney is sceptical.
While scientific advances may help delay age-related diseases, there is little evidence that dramatically extending human lifespan is achievable today. Reversing ageing remains largely experimental.
"The quest for immortality is delusional," he says.
The more realistic ambition is to extend healthspan, the years we remain physically and mentally healthy, rather than simply adding more birthdays.
Myth 2: Longevity Is Just Another Name for Anti-Ageing
Not quite. Geroscience examines why our bodies age. Longevity medicine focuses on preserving health and reducing future disease risk. Anti-ageing, meanwhile, has become a convenient marketing label for everything from cosmetic treatments to supplements.
"Longevity is a buzzword which gets added onto all sorts of services and solutions," Ranney observes.
His approach is to look beyond the disease a patient has today. What can be done now to reduce the risk of illness 30 or 40 years later? How can someone remain independent well into their eighties and nineties?
That is a rather different ambition from simply looking younger.
Myth 3: Money Can Buy You More Healthy Years
From hyperbaric oxygen therapy and cold plunges to expensive supplements and pharmaceutical interventions, the longevity marketplace offers plenty of options for those willing to spend.
Some interventions have established uses or are being studied for particular health benefits. But that does not mean they have been proven to slow human ageing or extend lifespan.
Ranney points instead to familiar foundations: physical movement, stress management and meaningful connections with ourselves, other people and nature.
None of these requires a luxury longevity clinic. And unlike many fashionable interventions, regular exercise and other healthy lifestyle habits have substantial evidence behind them.
Myth 4: Longevity Is Something to Think About After 60
By the time chronic disease appears, the underlying risks may have been building for decades.
Ranney argues for a much longer view of healthcare, one that looks 30 or 40 years ahead rather than focusing exclusively on today's symptoms.
The aim is to protect physical and mental independence as we grow older, ideally bringing healthspan as close as possible to lifespan.
That means longevity is as relevant to someone in their The aim is to protect physical and mental independence as we grow older, ideally bringing healthspan as close as possible to lifespan.
Thirties as to someone in their seventies.
And that brings us to perhaps the biggest misconception of all: that longevity is about defeating death.
It isn't. It is about delaying disease, reducing suffering and remaining independent for as many years as possible.
We may not be able to stop the clock. But we can certainly work towards making the years it gives us healthier.
