Better food, healthcare, working conditions, and safety protocols have allowed humans to live longer and healthier than ever before. In most developed countries today, the average lifespan is 80 years, while in 1906, a little more than 100 years ago, it was 48.
Projections moving forward look so good that there’s a debate in the medical community on whether or not we can increase human longevity indefinitely.There are far more centenarians than ever, or those who’ve lived to 100, and more supercentenarians or those 110 or above. A study published last year in the journal Nature proposes that 122 may be the human lifespan’s ceiling. Most of those in the upper reaches of our lifespan assign their longevity to lifestyle choices or healthy habits, which of course play an enormous role. But many scientists believe important secrets to longevity lie within our genes as well.
Moreover, quite a number of studies suggest a strong genetic link. For instance, a 1996 study published in the journal Human Genetics, looked at thousands of Danish twins. It concluded that 20-26% of longevity is up to one’s genetic code. Meanwhile, a Boston University study found that a centenarians’ siblings have about a 3½ times higher chance of reaching 100, over non-centenarians’ siblings.
What’s more, supercentenarians don’t often experience any of the serious diseases people succumb to in old age, such as heart disease or cancer. Turns out, the longest living among us carry fewer of the genetic variations involved with such diseases.
While lifestyle plays an enormous role, certain genes or gene combinations add significantly to longevity and good health later in life. Credit: Getty Images.
To find out what all those who’ve reached 110 have in common, a nonprofit known as Betterhumans is studying the DNA of those who have shown impressive longevity. It bills itself as “the world’s most comprehensive genomic study of supercentenarians and their families.” DNA…
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