Study: Genetic longevity and more from the mother

Is there a decision to the life of each person, "longevity genes"? Life Sciences, Fudan University, an expert from the composition after two years of large-scale survey research group, found a life of Chinese people associated with DNA lineages. The results published in the latest issue of the internationally renowned journals, "PLoS" (PloS One) on.

The months of longevity research
Fudan University who led the study, Professor Jin Li, who led the research team came to Rugao City, Jiangsu Province, launched a "follow-up investigation in Rugao population health and longevity." Rugao is the well-known longevity, published in 2000 the national average life expectancy is 71 years old, while Rugao was 75.58 years. The end of 2007, with 140 million people live in Rugao more than 102 hundred years old. Choose Rugao as test sites to obtain more extensive samples of extreme longevity.

The researchers chose the 705 over the age of 95, to form a "group of extreme longevity" (including 102 centenarians), they also randomly selected more than 900 elderly people aged 60 -69 years old form the "old group" More than 400 middle-aged people aged 40 -49 years of age formed a "middle-aged group", three groups were compared. By analyzing the blood, extracted DNA testing, researchers found that "extreme longevity group" about 20% of the elderly in the mitochondrial genes, there is a distribution of haplogroups B4 significantly more. Through comparison of the three groups also found that mitochondrial genes on the mtDNA haplogroup M9, N9 haplogroup frequency from the middle age group, age group to the "extreme longevity group" were decreased.

Mainly from the genetic mother
Jin Li said the study results are preliminary, not yet found that "longevity genes", but can confirm that the three haplogroups with longevity are closely related. Jin Li said that the Japanese population, a longevity genetics study also showed that longevity has a lot of people in haplogroups B4. Jin Li that from the perspective of genetics, longevity is inherited, mainly from the mother at the genetic, that is, if the mothers live longer, their children likely to live longer; if the father live longer, their children may not live long.

Great impact of external factors
On the one hand depends on the genetic background of health and longevity, but also largely by the external environment and way of life. The survey has an important proposition that "environmental factors and genetic factors, which a greater impact on longevity?" The results show that the contribution of genetic factors on the life of only 25%; mental health, life satisfaction, food, water , air pollution and other environmental factors on the life of a greater impact.

The researchers found that "extreme longevity group" in about 30% of the people has been as the main seasoning of honey, and another 40% long-term consumption of red dates. Meanwhile, psychological testing, most centenarians living feel good right now, living in the calm. In addition, the Rugao mild local climate, water quality, fresh air, is the hometown of the famous flowers; and moral, the community has respect for the old atmosphere; in addition to their genetic superiority, so here than in centenarians elsewhere some more.