 |
| the oldest in Europe, Emma Morano, aged 116 years |
Scientists have identified four genes that can increase a person's likelihood of living for the elderly. Gene, based on information taken from Science Alert, Wednesday (12/30/2015), was found by analyzing the genomes of several parents who managed to live past the age of 90 years.
The relationship between genetics and aging has attracted scientists for decades. Thus, these findings are expected to be a treatment for diseases associated with age, or maybe tips in order to live longer.
This finding is the latest in a study and a report explaining why certain people live well beyond their life expectancy.
Previous research conducted on identical twins, and shows a genetic link - twins often live to the same age - and the results are encouraging new study, led by geneticist Stuart Kim of the University of Stanford.
The new longevity genes identified it is ABO, which determines blood type; CDKN2B, which regulate the life cycle of the cell; SH2B3, which has been shown to extend lifespan in fruit flies; and one of the HLA genes, which are involved in the process of how the immune system to recognize our own cells.
The fourth of these genes combine into a variant of APOE, which previously has been linked to Alzheimer's, which is considered as the fifth gene most closely associated with longevity.
"It seems clear that to avoid the disease is part of a strategy to become a centenarians (people who live 100 years or more, ed.) But no dogma truly powerful stating that centenarians will not run out of the disease gene. All the benefits of their survival comes from protection of antiaging gene. I think the dogma is wrong, "said Kim told Time magazine.
By focusing on a gene associated with age-related diseases, Kim and his team were able to identify a group of new genes.
This gene is able to predict a person's age or even affect how long someone lives, which is far ahead of us. But Kim believes that there are still many things to learn.
"The amount of data is going up very quickly, and how we handle the data also increase over time. I am optimistic that in our lifetime or our children, there will be scientific advances outstanding that could change the way we think about longevity," bright Kim told New Scientist quoted as saying of Science Alert.
