06.11.2025

A long life is a natural wish to have. However, it is not just about living as long as possible; the quality of those years is also crucial. This is exactly where the concept of "longevity" comes in: it combines scientific findings from medicine, sports medicine, and prevention to extend healthy life expectancy.

In brief: longevity and sports medicine

An active lifestyle with regular exercise plays a much greater role in healthy life expectancy than was long thought.
In addition to exercise, a balanced diet and proper stress management also play a major role in ensuring a long span of healthy years.
Sports medicine and sports science can make a significant contribution to properly implementing longevity in one's own life and keeping people healthy.

"The importance of longevity will continue to grow significantly in sports medicine," says Thomas Schulz, journalist and author of the book "Projekt Lebensverlängerung" (Project Life Extension). "Research in recent years has shown that sports and any real form of physical activity play an even greater role in healthy life expectancy than previously thought. And that's down to the molecular level," Schulz continues. He will shed light on the topic in a keynote speech during the MEDICA MEDICINE + SPORTS CONFERENCE.

"Longevity" literally means long life. In medicine, it describes a long life with the best possible physical and mental health, enabling people to be active and independent. Research also refers to "healthspan" (derived from "lifespan", the mere length of life), signifying the period of time during which people live healthily without major limitations.

Promoting a longer, better life: What lies behind the concept of "longevity"

A group of older men are hiking in a hilly landscape and taking a selfie – Longevity; Copyright: YuriArcursPeopleimages

Longevity stands for healthy aging that enables an active life. Sports medicine will likely play a key role in achieving this goal in the future.

Lifestyle plays a central role in promoting longevity. Regular physical activity, for example, can prevent age-related diseases.

"Over the past two years, it has become widely known – also thanks to a lot of research that has been published – that exercise plays a central role in overall healthy life expectancy," explains Schulz. "Many people are therefore starting to exercise in a more targeted way. Above all, they are working more on building muscle, which for many had not been a priority before."

Sports medicine focuses on endurance training, moderate strength training, and everyday exercise. No one has to take up competitive sports, because even small changes such as daily walks have long-term effects on cardiovascular health and mobility, helping to prevent disease.

Nutrition also influences longevity. A balanced, plant-based diet with healthy fats and low sugar is considered beneficial. In addition, certain active ingredients such as spermidine and resveratrol are being researched for their potential to positively influence cellular aging processes. However, the benefits of such "longevity supplements" have not yet been sufficiently proven.

Lecture: Project life extension

Thomas Schulz at MEDICA 2025

Man with glasses, beard, and brown hair standing in front of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco – Thomas Schulz; Copyright: private

Thomas Schulz, journalist and author

In his keynote speech, Thomas Schulz will talk about the progress we have made in aging research in recent years and how this has given us a better understanding of what aging and health actually entail. This extends to the molecular processes that play a role in aging. Based on these findings, Schulz will show how exercise and activity can help mitigate the aging process.

To the lecture

All details and tickets to the MEDICA MEDICINE + SPORTS CONFERENCE

A joint effort can help combat physical inactivity

Another aspect is dealing with stress. Chronic stress is associated with inflammation and cell damage. Techniques such as mindfulness training or regular periods of rest can have a preventive effect here.

For implementation in everyday life, it is important to correctly evaluate measures that are intended to maintain one's own health: Longevity does not work miracles and is not a promise of eternal life. Rather, it offers starting points for extending healthy life expectancy and thus making one's own life more active and therefore healthier.

Ultimately, support from sports science and sports medicine will also be important here: "It will play a major role for society as a whole to intensify individual sports programs and provide them with the right sports medicine support," says Schulz. "This will be a big, but also an amazing, task for sports medicine."