It now seems that long-lived people may indeed have genes that allow their children to live longer as well.
A new study involving more than 600 elderly American adults found that children of centenarians were more likely to live longer. In addition to that, they were also less likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke. They were also less likely to develop diabetes.
Participants in the study included 440 children who had at least one parent that lived to at least 100. Also included in the study were 192 adults whose parents lived to average life expectancy. This average age was 72 years. Observed over a 4 year period, researchers saw that centenarian children were 81% less likely to pass away. They were also less likely to develop heart problems as well as diabetes.
SOURCES: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, November 2008.
My Views
Genetics play a significant role in our life span. It has been largely verified that 70 percent of our longevity is based on our genetic make up.
Calorie restriction, a form of dieting that decreases calorie intake has been shown to exact a 40% increase in longevity as shown in animal experiments. A near-starvation diet approach is currently being researched as to whether this can increase longevity even further. So far, results have been promising.
The problem with calorie restriction and near-starvation diets is that it is tough to find subjects willing to take part in such research. The near starvation diet consists of consuming only 40% of the normal calories a person takes.
There are various genes currently being researched. One such gene is the PHA-4 gene. PHA-4 has shown promising results under the calorie restriction diet as well as the near-starvation diet. The PHA-4 gene has been shown to be a make or break gene in experiments done on worms, meaning that the loss of this gene negates the longevity effect of calorie-restriction diets. The PHA-4 gene is also a primordial gene that probably arose during a feast or famine condition in our history. During a starvation of stressful situation, creatures evolved metabolisms that worked better under starvation conditions.
It should be noted that a calorie restriction diet is not the same as a starvation diet. A well conducted calorie restriction diet can maintain cells at an optimum nutritional level while a starvation diet can do no such thing. An excellent introduction to calorie restriction would be my Anti-aging Food Pyramid. My 10 week Anti-aging Protocol is also a good choice if you are near your target body weight. For people above 10-15% of your ideal body weight, I recommend the 12 month Detox Diet Protocol.
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