don's report archive

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

Yesterday, I introduced this theme and noted that genetics is on the comeback trail in terms of how researchers view factors affecting longevity. One reason for this is the observation that centenarians everywhere are not so impressive as lifestyle models, at least not in terms of diet or abstemious living. In particular, freedom from vices is NOT a characteristic of the longest of the long-lived. Many are junk food junkies, most are given to drink and a few, believe it or not, are couch potatoes. Most famous of all in the latter category was Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who at 122 was the oldest person in documented history when she died last year. Jeanne was even a smoker! Go figure.

Much attention of late has been given to a Massachusetts family, with one member celebrating his 108th birthday with his 103-year-old sister. A 97-year-old sister, though in excellent health, was not in attendance! Had the party been held two years earlier, two more family centenarian siblings might have attended! Now that’s amazing. One investigator of the long-lived was able to track four families in New England with remarkable life spans. In one case, the researcher found eight of 10 siblings who lived to be at least 90 years old. The odds of that happening were placed somewhere around one in 10 trillion.

One factor in accounting for the long life spans among siblings is the obvious fact that they probably share similar upbringing and habits. The assumption is that whatever proved beneficial for one would aid them all. However, score lots of points for genetics when you learn, as the researchers did, that some of the families included related centenarians who lived far apart. This factor, an argument for the influence of genetics, is much like that of identical twins who, separated at birth and raised in very different environments, still have basically the same personalities as adults.

A study at Harvard, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Children's Hospital compared the genetic material of subjects 98 years or older with siblings who had also reached extreme old age. The researchers were looking for snippets of chromosomes that might have been inherited by these long-lasting siblings. This work has fueled interest in the existence of a longevity gene! Not all scientists think there is such a thing. The expert jury is still out on this category of research, called genetic "linkage" studies. It is similar to investigations of genes that might predispose people for diseases (for examples, cystic fibrosis and Huntington's disease).

The difficulty in seeking longevity genes is that there are probably many of them, not just a single gene. In fact, some think there may be hundreds of longevity genes that favor the owners with longer lives than the rest of us. Of course, some of these longevity genes may be “more equal” or more influential than the rest. All this remains to be seen. One factor that limits research on human genetics is that a large sample of extremely old people is hard to come by.

One expert found that long-lived people have high levels of high-density lipoprotein, known to protect against heart disease and other ailments. The key question is, “Which genes most affect cholesterol?” The science of genetics can be very complicated.

One other quality that researchers mention in almost every study, which might be hard to pinpoint genetically, is something called “zest for life.” All the long-lived subjects seem to have it, with ample levels of humor, playfulness and interest in things and people around them.

Maybe this is the LIFESTYLE gene that we can all grow at any age by seeking a joyful, creative outlook, and cultivating it as the years go by. It certainly can’t hurt, and may be a factor of vast consequence, whether or not the geneticists ever get around to giving “zest for living” its due. They certainly are not likely to find a way to manufacture and market a pill for this purpose, and even if they could, the establishment forces would surely make it illegal! So, go for the same thing the natural way. Have as much fun as you can, and enjoy the time available.

Be well. Look on the bright side.

(Note: This essay will be filed in the archives in the PHYSICAL DOMAIN under the skill area of lifestyle habits. Additional articles related to this theme may be found there.)

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

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