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While diet and exercise
are key to most people's health, there have always been those lucky
few who can do whatever they want and still live to 100. Now genetics
research is showing why. A new study suggests that centenarians
retain a naturally heart-healthy cholesterol level throughout
their lives -- and they pass the gift on to their children.
In general, high blood levels of HDL
("good") cholesterol
are believed to protect the heart from disease. But to date
no one has shown it's important to longevity.
This study of 27 centenarians and their elderly children suggests
that these long-lived individuals have a genetic mutation that
keeps their HDL levels high, regardless of fatty diets, inactivity
and smoking.
The study also revealed a difference between the sexes: In order
to live to a ripe old age, men may need high
HDL levels and low levels
of LDL ("bad") cholesterol. Women, on
the other hand, just need to have high
HDL. This could help explain why women are more likely
to make it to 100 -- even in families in which longevity is par
for the course.
The study looked at a group of Ashkenazi Jews, a population that
has been widely studied due to individuals' genetic similarity.
The investigators measured blood cholesterol levels in 27 centenarians,
33 of their children, and 26 of their children's spouses. The researchers
also compared these cholesterol levels with those from a "control"
group of nearly 400 people in their 60s.
The study revealed that the centenarians' children had significantly
better cholesterol levels than either their spouses or the control
group. Among female children, only HDL levels were superior, while
male children also had better LDL levels than controls did.
What's more, the centenarians themselves
had cholesterol levels comparable to
those of the decades-younger controls.
Journal of the American Geriatrics
Society January 12, 2001;49
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