Demography of human supercentenarians.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Descriptive demographic registry analysis and case series without a comparator group
PubMed 15215268 · doi:10.1093/gerona/59.6.b579
What was done
The authors evaluated a documented worldwide list of living supercentenarians (individuals aged 110 years or older) maintained and updated weekly over a 6-year period by the Los Angeles Gerontology Research Group, including a 2003 registry snapshot, to assess biological limits to human longevity and maximum lifespan.
What was found
The abstract reports no quantitative values, participant counts, or statistical results. The authors report that while average life expectancy advanced linearly over the past century, continued indefinite progression is unrealistic, and the record lifespan of 122 years set in 1997 will be exceedingly difficult to surpass in our lifetime without major medical breakthroughs.
Why it matters
This paper evaluates demographic limits on human longevity, arguing that historical gains in average life expectancy do not indicate an unlimited upward trajectory for maximum human lifespan.
Limits
The abstract reports no sample size, statistical tests, or numerical demographic figures. Worldwide registry tracking of supercentenarians is subject to severe ascertainment bias, documentation verification limits, and reliance on extreme outlier observations without a control population.
Cited by
- supports The oldest verified human lived to be 122 years old, a French woman.