What plays more of a role on determining longevity, lifestyle or genetics? Scientists are now trying to determine (at least part of) the answer by studying the genes of several thousands of people to understand why some live to be a hundred years old or more.
According to Thomas T. Perls and Paola Sebastiani of Boston University, most centenarians do have a number of genetic variations in common. By examining the genomes of 1,055 Caucasians born between 1890 and 1910, then comparing them to 1,267 people born later, the pair was able to determine certain “markers” that enabled them to correctly “predict” which came from people over 100 with a rate of 77% accuracy.
“77% is very high for a genetic model,” exclaimed Sebastani, “But 23% error also shows that there is a lot that remains to be discovered.”
“The centenarians could be fitted into 19 groups with different genetic signatures.” Some correlated with increased rates of survival, while others were connected to the delay of dementia and other age-related illnesses.
The study, which has centered on Caucasians since it began back in 1995, will now be expanded to include other racial groups, including natives of Japan. In fact, it has been estimated that by 2050, 1% of the population in Japan (or approximately 627,000 people) will be 100 years old or more.
At present, Perls and Sebastani stress that they are still only beginning to scratch the surface when it comes to understanding how people survive into advanced old age, and that their research (thus far) doesn’t mean that they have come up with a “quick test to determine who will live long and who won’t.” However, it may very well lead them on the right path to “determining who will be vulnerable to specific diseases sooner, and there might be a possibility to help guide therapy for them.”
According to Social Security there were close to 630 centenarians living in Connecticut in 2002, with some more than 108 years old. This year, ten residents over the age of 100 were honored at The Jewish Home in Fairfield’s, annual Centenarian Celebration on April 25, 2010.
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