Today.Az » Weird / Interesting » God's predestination? - Long life and longevity is determined by genes rather than lifestyle or environment
13 August 2011 [12:00] - Today.Az
The Fountain of Youth is famous throughout the world and is believed to
be a spring that reverses the effect of time and restores the youth to
those that drink of its waters. The legend of the Fountain of Youth
occurs in the writings of Herodotus, Prestor John, and among the Native
Americans prior to the arrival of the European explorers.
The Spanish
new world explorer Juan Ponce de Leon, the first Governor of Puerto
Rico, is renowned for his search of the Fountain of Youth and is
reported to have found it in the land that is today known as Florida.
Whether the Fountain of Youth truly exists is unclear, but it does bring
us to the idea that certain things when drank, eaten, or used during
our lives can influence our longevity and lifespan. Some have argued
that it is not our environment, but rather our genetics that determines
our health and lifespan.
This is known as the “nature” versus “nurture”
debate, and some have argued that it is a combination of both that
determines our longevity. Researchers from the Albert Einstein College
of Medicine of the Yeshiva University lead by Dr. Nir Barzilai, have
found that long life and longevity is determined by genetics rather than
lifestyle or environment. In other words, they provide evidence that
suggests that it is “nature” rather than “nurture” that determines our
lifespan. Their research was published online in today’s Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
For their study, the researchers used a retrospective cohort study of
477 Ashkenazi Jewish individuals with exceptional longevity that are at
least 95 years old and living independently. As a control group for
comparison, the researchers used 3,164 participants in the National
Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I).
The researchers
interviewed the study participants using a survey to collect information
regarding lifestyle and environmental factors that may have influenced
their longevity. The researchers found that study participants that had
exceptional longevity had similar mean body mass index, daily alcohol
consumption, physical activity habits, smoking habits, and dieting
characteristics as the control NHANES I participants.
When the study
participants were asked what contributed to their longevity, most did
not credit lifestyle factors but instead stated that it was a family
history of long life. The researchers argue that the study participants
with exceptional longevity had “longevity genes” rather than healthier
lifestyles that allowed them to live a longer life.
The authors wrote,
“this study suggests that people with exceptional longevity were not
healthier earlier in life in terms of BMI, smoking, physical activity,
or diet than the general U.S. population. These results support the
notion that those with exceptional longevity may interact with
environmental and lifestyle factors differently than others…
This study
suggests that people with exceptional longevity reach older ages despite
lifestyle choices similar to those of the general population,
supporting the notion that genetic factors related to exceptional
longevity may also protect against the detrimental effects of poor
lifestyle choices. It is also possible that epigenetic factors may
contribute to exceptional longevity”. The researchers emphasized that
the general population should still follow a healthy lifestyle which
includes diet, exercise, smoking cessation, and moderate alcohol
consumption, especially if “longevity genes” are not present in our
families.
/DrSamGirgis.com/
|
|
