Can You Live Beyond Age 100? 4 Promising Genes Discovered!

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Living life up to 100 years is what most people in this world would want to achieve. Although there are so many factors that can affect how long someone can live life, like the food a person eats and the environment, scientists also found that genes play a major role in improved longevity.

According to the Dec. 17 study published in PLOS Genetics, there are several diseases found in an average human being that could be absent in people who have reached the century mark.

The result of the research may provide cure to diseases affecting old people or help the general population live a much longer life than the average lifespan of a normal human being.

The newly discovered genes are:

ABO - This newly discovered gene will determine the person's type of blood.

CDKN2B - This gene will help regulate cell division.

SH2B3 - This was previously found to extend fruit flies' lifespan.

APOE - A gene that is linked to Alzheimer's disease.

There have been many research linking genes and people's age for so many years. This latest development will certainly provide hope to anyone wishing to live a healthy life longer than usual. The new study is based on previous research suggesting the existence of the genetic link, as evidenced by twins which usually have the same lifespan.

Lead researcher Stuart Kim, a geneticist from Stanford University, and his team surveyed 800 people aged at least a hundred and 5,000 people that are currently 90 years old.

According to a report by Time Magazine, the researchers came up with the result that genes will definitely influence diseases affecting older people. Each of these genes contributes to people's chances of living life for over 100 years. It basically suggests that someone who is a centenarian belongs to a special group of people with special types of genes.

"It seems intuitively obvious that avoiding disease is part of the strategy of becoming a centenarian," the geneticist explained.

"But there is a really, really strong dogma in the field that there was no depletion of disease genes in centenarians, and that all of their survival benefit was coming from protection from anti-ageing genes. I think they were wrong."

With this latest development, Kim is very confident that this will help future studies about age-related sickness. However, the team admitted that predicting a person's lifespan is still a long way to go. Kim stated that there is still so much to learn.