Human lifespans are exceptionally long compared with those of other primates. A key element in exploring the evolution of human longevity is understanding how modern humans grow older. Our current understanding of common age-related changes in human health and function stems mostly from studies in industrialized societies, where older adulthood is often associated with an increased incidence of chronic diseases. However, individuals who engage in different lifestyles across industrialized and non-industrialized contexts may display variance in age-related changes in health and function. Here, we explore aspects of physical function in a non-industrialized context using three objective measures of physical function. We assessed physical activity levels, walking endurance and muscle strength in two East African populations: Hadza hunter–gatherers in Tanzania and Pokot pastoralists in Kenya. Both Hadza and Pokot participants displayed significant age-related differences in most, but not all, functional measures. Our results suggest that some age-related differences in physical function seen in industrialized contexts could be consistently experienced by most humans, while other age-related differences may vary across populations. Studies of ageing should expand to include a broad range of populations so we can create a more comprehensive understanding of how senescence varies across different lifestyle contexts.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Evolution of the primate ageing process’.

与其他灵长类动物相比，人类的寿命特别长。探索人类长寿演变的一个关键因素是了解现代人如何变老。我们目前对人类健康和功能中常见的与年龄相关的变化的理解主要源于工业化社会的研究，在这些社会中，老年人往往与慢性病发病率增加有关。然而，在工业化和非工业化环境中从事不同生活方式的个人可能会在与年龄相关的健康和功能变化方面表现出差异。在这里，我们使用身体功能的三个客观度量来探索非工业化背景下身体功能的各个方面。我们评估了两个东非人群的身体活动水平、步行耐力和肌肉力量：坦桑尼亚的哈扎狩猎采集者和肯尼亚的波科特牧民。Hadza 和 Pokot 参与者在大多数（但不是全部）功能测量中都表现出与年龄相关的显着差异。我们的结果表明，在工业化环境中看到的一些与年龄相关的身体功能差异可能会被大多数人持续体验，而其他与年龄相关的差异可能因人群而异。对衰老的研究应该扩大到包括更广泛的人群，以便我们可以更全面地了解衰老在不同生活方式背景下的变化。我们的研究结果表明，在工业化环境中看到的一些与年龄相关的身体功能差异可能会被大多数人持续体验，而其他与年龄相关的差异可能因人群而异。对衰老的研究应该扩大到包括更广泛的人群，以便我们可以更全面地了解衰老在不同生活方式背景下的变化。我们的研究结果表明，在工业化环境中看到的一些与年龄相关的身体功能差异可能会被大多数人持续体验，而其他与年龄相关的差异可能因人群而异。对衰老的研究应该扩大到包括更广泛的人群，以便我们能够更全面地了解衰老在不同生活方式背景下的变化。

这篇文章是主题问题“灵长类动物衰老过程的进化”的一部分。