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Published on September 12, 2006 By cutepablo In Health & Medicine
Longevity is not genetic



Scientists at Max Planck Institute for Demographic research in Germany found that longevity is not a genetic trait. Genes may not be so important in determining how long a human being will live depending on how long his parents lived. James W. Vaupel who directs the Laboratory of Survival and Longevity states, “You really learn very little about your own life span from your parent’s life spans.” He added, “That’s what the evidence shows. Even twins, identical twins die at different times.”



The likely reason for long life span are quite complicated. It is a complex mix of events. There are no accurate prediction for individuals. The factors include:

Genetic predisposition.
Disease.
Nutrition
A woman’s health during pregnancy.
Subtle injuries and accidents.
Chance events, like a randomly occurring mutation in cells that leads to cancer.




Comments
on Sep 12, 2006
Most things aren't purely genetic anyway so this isn't really a breakthrough. It seems like there is good evidence that many factors that contribute to longevity ARE genetic but that doesn't mean you don't have to take care of yourself if you have a predisposition to longevity.
on Sep 12, 2006
See the movie Gattica.