Lifestyle More Important Than Genes to Natural Longevity
Another confirmation that your natural longevity is more a matter of your choices than the luck of the draw: "It is often assumed that people with parents who lived to be very old are more likely to live to a grand old age themselves. 'But that's just not true - our study shows that hereditary factors don't play a major role and that lifestyle has the biggest impact,' says professor emeritus Lars Wilhelmsen, referring to the 1913 Men study that formed the basis of the current research. Those who did not smoke, consumed moderate amounts of coffee and had a good socio-economic status at the age of 50 (measured in terms of housing costs), as well as good physical working capacity at the age of 54 and low cholesterol at 50 had the greatest chance of celebrating their 90th birthday. ... We're breaking new ground here. Many of these factors have previously been identified as playing a role in cardiovascular disease, but here we are showing for the first time that they are important for survival in general. The study clearly shows that we can influence several of the factors that decide how old we get. ... The 1913 Men epidemiological study started up in 1963. A third of all male 50-year-olds in Gothenburg were called for a check-up that focused on cardiovascular health. Every ten years since, a new group of 50-year-olds has been called in and those who were already taking part in the study have been given another check-up. This has enabled researchers to follow the development of illnesses in a specific age group, and to compare the health of 50-year-olds in 2003 with that of 50-year-olds in 1963, for example." The choices you make become even more important when we consider the prospects for future medical technology: are you helping to bring about the rejuvenation biotechnology that will extend all healthy human lives, or are you merely sitting on the sidelines and hoping?
Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110207112539.htm