We'll soon all live to 120 years old – but this is probably the absolute limit, claims expert

Professor Sir Colin Blakemore said there's a limit on how long we can live He believes 120 years might be a real absolute to human lifespan This is because living for longer is so rarely exceeded that even with medical advances, it is unlikely this threshold will be raised Claims were made at a Legal and General conference earlier this week

By Victoria Woollaston for MailOnline

Published: 04:55 EST, 22 October 2014 | Updated: 07:13 EST, 22 October 2014

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The number of people living past 100 has soared by 71 per cent in the past decade.

And while one expert believes this figure will continue to rise, he stated that anyone hoping to live for double or triple this time will be disappointed.

Speaking at a gerontology conference, Professor Sir Colin Blakemore claimed there is a ceiling on how long humans can live, and how much the body can age - and he stated that that 120 years might be a real absolute limit to human lifespan.

Professor Sir Colin Blakemore (pictured) claimed there is a ceiling on how long humans can live and believes 120 years might be a real absolute limit to human lifespan. This is because living for longer is so rarely exceeded that even with medical advances, it is unlikely this upper threshold will be raised

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We'll soon all live to 120 years old - but this is probably the absolute limit, claims expert