Somatic Mutations May Cap Human Lifespan at 150 Years, Study Suggests

Even if scientists succeed in reversing the aging process, the maximum human lifespan could be capped at around 150 years due to unavoidable genetic mutations, according to a new study.

Researchers at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology in Russia focused on somatic mutations, which are random changes in DNA that accumulate in cells over time. While many of these mutations are harmless, some can damage cells, impair their function, and contribute to age-related diseases like cancer.

The study's authors developed a model that simulated a scenario where all reversible hallmarks of aging were eliminated, leaving only somatic mutations as a limiting factor for longevity. In this hypothetical future, the model predicted a median human lifespan falling between 146 and 194 years.

The impact of these mutations varies by organ. Tissues that regularly replace old cells, such as the liver and skin, could theoretically maintain normal function for thousands of years even with accumulating mutations. However, cells in the heart and brain, which divide less frequently, are more susceptible to permanent damage from these genetic errors.

Damage to neurons alone in the model brought the median lifespan down to 194 years, while damage to heart muscle cells lowered it to 208 years. These findings suggest that even without aging, these specific cellular damages could significantly curtail human longevity.

While the study points to a potential upper limit of around 156 years based on somatic mutations alone, researchers noted that current average lifespans are substantially shorter. This indicates that other aging mechanisms, such as proteostasis loss, mitochondrial dysfunction, or epigenetic changes, also play significant roles in limiting human lifespan.

"Our study shows that somatic mutations contribute significantly to aging, but they cannot by themselves explain the observed mortality," said Dmitrii Kriukov, who led the research. "This means that other aging mechanisms — such as loss of proteostasis, mitochondrial dysfunction or epigenetic changes — contribute comparably to limiting lifespan."

In the United States, average life expectancy was 79 years in 2024, falling short of the 82.7-year average in comparable countries. The longest verified lifespan on record belongs to Jeanne Calment of France, who lived to be 122 years and 164 days old before her death in 1997.