A recent study showed that people who live to 110 years have an equal amount of disease-associated genes as the overall population. However, super-centenarians are gifted with protective genes enabling them to enjoy extreme longevity.
Super-centenarians’ (people living to 110 or beyond) are uncommon in the general population. In developed countries only one person out of every 5 million is predisposed to live to 110 years or beyond. An American research team has found evidence showing that genetics seems to be one of the main reasons for extreme longevity.
The current study was categorized as ‘a first-of-a-kind’ where the complete genome sequence of a woman and man aged past 114 years was studied. It was found that they had an equal amount of disease-related genes as the general public.
It was found that the man had 37 genetic mutations, which were related to colon cancer. According to Dr. Thomas Perls, who is the Director of the New England Centenarian Study, mentioned that the man had in his earlier life experienced obstructing colon cancer which hadn’t metastasized when it was treated with surgery. At Boston University Medical Center, Perls said that the man was in good physical and mental condition until his death.
In addition, the woman did also have a high volume of genetic variations, which were directly associated to age-related diseases such as cancer, heart disease and Alzhemier’s disease. But, it was only in her late life; around 108, that she started to develop mild cognitive impairment and congestive heart failure.
Other research teams have found similar finding; suggesting that centenarians have an equal amount of disease-related genes as the overall population. According to Perls, centenarians seem to have longevity-associated genes, which eradicate the negative effect of the disease genes. These longevity variants do either delay disease or in some cases prevent the diseases from even occurring. In most cases, the diseases tend to be delayed, and this enables these people to live almost to the human lifespan limit.
On the 3rd of January 2012, the study was published in the Journal Frontiers in Genetics. The information is also available at U.S National Institute of Health.
Sources: Family Doctor and USA Today
Wed, Jan 11, 2012
Anti Aging, Gerontology