Longevity Genes Help You To Live Longer, So Does Physical Activity

Certain genes are no doubt important in determining a person's lifespan.  A new study of more than 1000 centenarians suggests that the chance for a person to live over 100 years largely depends on whether or not he processes certain longevity genes.

The New England Centenarian Study led by Tom Perls at Boston Medical Center and colleagues and published in the journal Science found a math model based on the 150 genetic variants may be used to predict whether a person may live to be a centenarian and the accuracy is 77 percent.

Unfortunately, not everyone has all or most of these longevity genes.  

Fortunately, genetics is not the only determinant for a person's life-span. And environmental factors may also play a role in the longevity enjoyed by those centenarians, according to Winifred Rossi of the National Institute on Aging's Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology, which funded the study.

Fodoconsumer.org has reported that certain foods and diets may help a person to live longer and healthier even if they may not be able to help him to live long enough to be a centenarian. 

Another important thing people can do is exercise.  A growing body of scientific evidence is strong enough to suggest that physical activity can add years to a person's lifespan to say the least.

One study cited by about.com has found that average 65-year old people can expect to live additional 12.7 years of healthy life until age 77.7. But those who are physically highly active may live extra 5.7 years of healthy life until age 83.4.

Another study also cited by about.com suggests that a person can increase his life expectancy even if he starts increasing physical activity after age 50.  Researchers said that those who were moderately active could add extra 1.3 years to their lives and those who were highly active added 3.7 years.

One study led by Yates L.B. and colleagues from Brigham and Women's Hospital and published in the Feb 2008 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine found physical activity is one modifiable factor associated with exceptional longevity.

The study showed among 970 men who were at least 72 years old at the beginning of study, those who conducted regular exercise were 30 percent less likely to die at the end of the 16-year follow-up.

How could physical activity better a person's health and increase his life-span?  Many of the studies resulting in a positive association between longevity and physical activity are merely observational.  Could those who were physically active had longevity genes in the first place, which made them healthier than others?

In contrast, some studies found high energy expenditure in exercising animals was linked with a shortened life, according to Vaaholt L.M and colleagues from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

Vaaholt et al. conducted an animal study to see how exercise could affect the animals' lifespan and they found that increased amounts of voluntary aerobic exercise did not result in extended life span in mice.

They published their study in the March-April 2010 issue of Physiology and Biochemistry.

Regardless, moderate physical exercise can lower the levels of certain hormones, promote cardiovascular health, increase immunity and prevent some diseases, which are expected to help a person to live a longer life.

After all, we live to move, not move to live.  So enjoy your physical activity and feel good about it today even if you don't have the longevity genes to help you to be a centenarian.

By David Liu