One in Five People Have Two Copies of the Longevity Gene

One in five people in the world carry two copies of the longevity CETP gene that makes it easier for them to reach 100 years of age and beyond. The two copies of the gene also may protect them against various types of dementia.

How many people in Sacramento have more of a chance to live past 100 because of having two copies of a specific gene? And if you don't have two copies of the CETP gene, can you compensate with nutritional solutions such as resveratrol, pterostilbene from blueberries, grape seed extract, green tea, or other antioxidants and nutrients that mimic caloric restriction with high nutrition?

Can the epigenetic part of your genes (tags on top of your genes) be switched on to compensate for some longevity? Or must you rely on a drug that has not yet become available over the counter? In the future, would people be given two copies of the CETP gene through gene therapy, or is the science still in its own infancy? Basically, is longevity still a lottery, or can nutrition play a part?

Sacramento has an increasing number of centenarians being studied by various local gerontology groups and the residences where they live if they are in assisted living or senior residences. How much influence do genes have on longevity regardless of diet and lifestyle? The first observation may be how short a woman is in her youth.

Short women 5' 2" or under, may have a genetic mutation linked to long life. The second observation is that centenarians and their offspring have far more HDL cholesterol - the "good" kind - than other people, and the third observation is that the size of their HDL proteins is larger than normal. For further information, see the MSNBC article, "Longevity quest moves slowly from lab to life."

Also if a woman's calf is at least 13 inches in diameter, she has a better chance of not having a stroke. Seems the fat goes into the calf perhaps more than it goes into the carotid arteries leading to the brain. There are numerous markers of centenarians, particularly women--being short and having a high HDL number, for starters. But what can you do if you don't have two copies of the longevity gene?

You could practice caloric restriction to some extent. But don't go overboard into anorexia. You might take resveratrol and grape seed extract, but how many years could that really add to your lifespan? There must be nutritional ways to help if you don't have the gene that increases the size of your HDL proteins. In the future, could gene therapy help, perhaps working with designer genes for longevity--even before you conceive? Right now current studies are in their infancy of finding which genes increase the odds for longevity.

In the genetic lottery of life expectancy, you might think 100 is a pretty lucky number. Last year, researchers from the Albert EinsteinAlbert Einstein College of Medicine in New York tracked the health of more than 500 elderly men and women for four-and-a-half years. All were free of dementia at the start of the study but 40 had developed it by the end.

Blood samples showed that the CETP gene, already known to treble-the odds of living to 100, also cut the odds of dementia by 70 per cent. Those with the CETP longevity gene also have memories that are less impaired over time. And they have higher levels of the good cholesterol, HDL as well as slower memory decline and lower risk for developing Alzheimer's disease. For further information, check out the article, "The golden oldie gene: One in five has age-defying 'centenarian gene' that greatly increases odds of living to 100."

Sacramento has an increasing number of centenarians being studied by various local gerontology groups and the residences where they live if they are in assisted living or senior residences. How much influence do genes have on longevity regardless of diet and lifestyle?

In the genetic lottery of life expectancy, you might think 100 is a pretty lucky number. Last year, researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York tracked the health of more than 500 elderly men and women for four-and-a-half years. All were free of dementia at the start of the study but 40 had developed it by the end.

Blood samples showed that the CETP gene, already known to triple the odds of living to 100, also cut the odds of dementia by 70 per cent. Those with the CETP longevity gene also have memories that are less impaired over time. And they have slower memory decline and lower risk for developing Alzheimer's disease. For further information, check out the article, "The golden oldie gene: One in five has age-defying 'centenarian gene' that greatly increases odds of living to 100."