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Family link to long life
Genes
may help people to live to 100 years Families may
hold the key to living to 100 years and beyond, scientists believe. Research
carried out in the US suggests that some families are predisposed to long
and healthy lives. It found that
people are much more likely to celebrate their 100th birthday if their
brother or sister has hit the milestone. The
scientists believe that genes combined with environmental factors may
explain the pattern. Dr Thomas
Perls, director of the New England Centenarian Study in Boston and Dr John
Wilmoth of the University of California, based their theory on a study of
444 American families. Long lives
Each of the
families had at least one member who lived to 100 years of age or longer. They found
that brothers of centenarians were 17 times more likely to reach 100
compared to the general population. Similarly,
sisters of centenarians were eight times more likely to celebrate their
100th birthday compared to other people. The study
also showed that the siblings of centenarians were generally healthier
than the population as a whole. Sisters of
centenarians were about 50% less likely to die prematurely compared with
other people. Brothers of
centenarians had similarly low death rates. The findings,
published in the latest issue of the journal Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, back up previous studies which have suggested a link
between long lives and families. Previous
research by Dr Perl found that siblings of centenarians were four times
more likely to live into their early nineties than the general population.
University of
Utah researchers found brothers, sisters and other first-degree relatives
of the long-lived tend to live longer than cousins and other more distant
relatives. Gene key
This led
scientists to suggest that a small number of genes might influence
exceptional longevity. Last year, Dr
Perl and colleagues found a region on chromosome 4 that is "highly
suggestive" of genetic predisposition to long life. Dr Evan
Hadley, associate director for geriatrics and clinical gerontology at the
US National Institute for Aging, said the role played by genes in
determining long life was still unclear. He said:
"This striking finding provides further evidence that centenarians
and their relatives are a special group in that they appear to be more
resistant to disease or they survive disease better throughout the
lifespan. "This
survival advantage is likely due to genetics and environmental factors,
but the roles of each of these factors are still unclear.
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