Centenarians are becoming hallmarks for scientific research on longevity. The reason why this age range is being researched is that they might have a special longevity gene that safeguards them from age-related diseases.
Nowadays, the chance of reaching 100 is 0.01 percent in America, implying that in 10, 000 individuals only one is expected to reach 100 years of age. There is an approximate of 60, 000 centenarians in America up to the age of 110. Recently, science is questioning how it is possible that some people live up to the age of 90 and above with out any major disability and the recourse seems to be longevity genes.
Voluntary centenarians have been under genetic screening to better comprehend their genetic characteristics promoting longevity. There are some of the very old individuals in the screening process who have records of both smoking and obesity although, most people passing the 90 barrel seem to live healthily until their last weeks or even breath.
Many consider longevity a mere coincidence. According to, Nir Barzilai, geneticist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City says that there might be genetic explanation. Eventually, people who are relatives to centenaries tend to have a much higher chance of experiencing longevity, their chance is as much as 20 times more than those who are unrelated to any centenarian.
Research is at the moment trying to identify a difference in genes amidst families having many old aged people. This type of gene is referred to as longevity genes and science is predicting that they can mimic it into a drug in the near future. This would make individuals sturdier against old-age-diseases such as arthritis, heart disease, cancer and high blood pressure.
Early findings depicting that genetics could slow aging was found in an animal study. Genes were individually scrutinized to determine the life span of the mammals. It became certain at this phase that insulin receptors are fundamental for longevity.
The insulin hormone is mainly responsible for the way that we process food and convert it into energy. Bradley Willcox, geriatrics specialist at the University of Hawaii and his colleagues lately discovered FOXO3A, an insulin-pathway gene. FOXO3A, present in Japanese men above age of 95 appeared to improve energy handling and sensitivity to insulin.
The full-fledge in-depth analysis of centenarians blood samples has given ground to more studies. It was found, by Barzilai, that a higher density of lipoprotein (HDL) also referred to as good cholesterol was present for centenarians. Later on, CETP gene was examined at it was present in almost one quarter of the Ashkenazi Jews, or more precisely 24 percent of the population had the gene; a gene that is vital for cholesterol metabolism. It diminishes the quantity of protein present in the blood stream and thus reduces the chance of suffering from cardiovascular disease, hypertension and dementia.
There are some CETP inhibitors that have already been produced by pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer’s Torcetapib. The drug is expected to augment the level of HDL and thereby reduce the rate of heart disease. However, the drug was stopped in 2006. The drug was proven to have an association with a higher death rate from heart attack as well as other predicaments such as infections if not cancer.
Many cardiologists stay optimistic about the CETP inhibitors. For instance, Daniel Rader, from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia firmly believes that CETP inhibitors can work. The downfall of Torcetrapid is according to Daniel Rader related to blood pressure effects and not the CETP inhibitor. According to Rader, longevity can be born from medicine that alleviates the potential risk of heart disease, which is now the most fatal health predicament in America.
There is more widespread research underway which is examining our entire genome and its variations. Thomas Perls, director of the New England Centenarian Study at Boston University is already conducting studies on a million gene variations. Research is trying to discover more longevity element from both animal testing and blood screening.
However, critics by Perls say that the fact that genes are highly different from one centenarian to another makes it tremendously difficult to identify a communality. However, it has been shown that super-centenarians (above age of 110) have much more genetic similarities than, contemporary centenarians. Super-centenarians can thus advance research further.
According to Perls, to reach the age of 80 is easy. It is only to adopt a proper lifestyle: no smoking, reasonable amount exercise, food intake and control of stress. The complexity starts at 88, and how to bring that number up to 100. There is no magic potion available yet at the local pharmaceutical shop.
Source: Scientific American
Sun, Jan 17, 2010
Bioscience, Gerontology, Health And Aging