The biology of human longevity: inflammation, nutrition and ageing in the evolution of lifespans

摘要

Those familiar with Caleb Finch’s previous Longevity, Senescencenand the Genome will not be surprised that 183 pages ofnthis 626 page volume are taken up with references to the literature.nFinch exemplifies the ideal of thorough scholarship,nand we should be grateful for his comprehensive summarynof ideas and data that bear upon the intriguing question ofnwhy humans live as long as they do. Finch reminds us thatnour species has undergone two successive doublings in averagenlife expectancy. First, over the short evolutionary timenspan since we shared a common ancestor with chimpanzees,nspecies–species average lifespan increased from around 20 ton40 years. Second, life expectancy has further doubled over thenlast two centuries as a result of improvements in sanitation,nnutrition, housing, education, technology and medicine. Itnis central to Finch’s thesis that common biological elementsnunderpin both these transformations and are to be foundnin the nexus of processes that connect infection, inflammationnand nutrition. The drive towards increased humannlongevity, which was associated with a shift towards meatneating, brought changes in the human population density andngenetics that led to a greater burden of infection and inflammation.nInflammation contributes non-specific damage toncells and tissues, driving age-related cardiovascular, neurodegenerativenand other diseases, as well as ageing itself. Finch’snnarrative in The Biology of Human Longevity is inevitably complex.nHowever, the discerning reader will be well rewarded.