Why do most people live 70-80 years old, but there are those who cross the 100-year mark? Scientists from all over the world gathered at a recent international conference in Sochi tried to isolate the main factors affecting the increase in life expectancy.
It turned out that not only the way of life is involved here, but also genetics and psychology …
Heredity is a very important factor. If your grandmother, grandfather or one of your parents lived long enough, then perhaps you will live a long life …
Professor at the University of Bologna (Italy) Claudio Franceschi and his colleagues studied the genomes of 16 thousand Italians, whose age is about 100 years (by the way, in Italy, according to statistics, there are more centenarians than in any other European country).
“Most centenarians manage to avoid the most dangerous diseases associated with age: diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular and dementia - senile dementia. In addition, in old age they look much better than their peers,”says Professor Francesca.
Unique changes were found in the genes of these people that protect the body from the development of serious diseases, which, as a rule, cause death in old age. Despite the fact that some of the surveyed centenarians were found to have genes "responsible" for the predisposition to dangerous diseases, these diseases did not develop in them. Obviously, the “dangerous” genes were neutralized by the “defense”.
Defense genes can be inherited, according to the researchers. “Moreover, it is even possible that dad or mom actually did not live so long, but had the potential of long-livers - that is, they had the same protective changes in genes, but death occurred due to an accident, acute infection or for other reasons, not associated with aging, commented the professor of medical
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School of Harvard University Vadim Gladyshev. Therefore, in order to understand whether you have the potential for longevity, you should pay attention to the life expectancy of not only parents, but also grandparents, he added.
Over time, it will probably be possible to "plant" genes for "longevity" through genetic engineering. Research in this area is already underway.
True, life expectancy depends on good heredity only by 25-30 percent, scientists say. Another decisive factor is … bacteria.
“We also found dramatic differences in the intestinal microflora in our centennial participants in our studies,” said Claudio Franceschi. - A huge number of bacteria live in this part of the human body, which produce vitamins, release the energy the body needs to fight infections, or, conversely, release toxins themselves. Centenarians have been found to have an increased number of beneficial bacteria."
Probiotic preparations, which can now be bought at any pharmacy, can change the intestinal microflora for the better and give us a chance for longevity, but an even more effective method is transplantation of intestinal contents from a donor. Now this measure is already being applied in practice for the treatment of serious diseases, for example, intestinal infections.
Don't forget about nutrition. You should eat less meat and sweets, and as much fish, fruits and vegetables as possible. The best option is the so-called Mediterranean diet, says Professor Francesca. By the way, most of the centenarians in the United States turned out to be vegetarians.
Physical activity cannot be discounted. "This is something that always works in the fight against aging and prolongs life," says Nir Barzilai, director of the Institute of Gerontology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Sports, walking at a brisk pace or physical work train the cells of our body, make them more resilient and improve their regenerative capacity. All this postpones aging. "Load" should be at least 40 minutes a day, recommends Professor Barzilai.
It has been repeatedly confirmed that optimistic people live longer. Scientists believe that the ability to cope with stress and "disconnect" from unnecessary worries plays an essential role in the fight against aging. After all, it is stress and anxiety that often destructively affect the body.
Prolongs life and the presence of a purpose. “Most of the centenarians we met had some kind of passion, a work of life,” says one of the researchers, Vadim Gladyshev.
If we do not choose heredity, then the way of life and thinking depends only on us. Nobody bothers us to eat right, play sports and physical labor, successfully deal with stress … And it is possible that you will really live to be 100 years old!
Margarita Troitsyna