Scientists are now a step closer to understanding the conundrum of long life and to predicting which ones among us will live longest. It is our genes that give clues to a long life, scientists have found why some of us live so much longer than others.
Scientists are now able to predict with 77% accuracy, using genetic markers, whether a person will live very long or not. of course lifestyle factors also contribute to longevity or lack thereof, however genes play an important role in determining how long we live.
Genetic variants or markers, that differentiated the longer living people from others, were able to predict whether a person would live up to 90 or more.
Some genetic markers identified by researchers were associated with living to be a 100 and more, while others were associated with late onset of diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
This research is useful in helping us learn more about the lifestyle and habits of those that literally live to be a hundred and how they manage to ward off heart disease, cancer, and other health problems.
This may help to devise better strategies and treatments according to study researcher Tom Perls, of Boston University School of Medicine.
