Scientists recently analyzed the DNA of a woman who was 115 years old. At the time of her death, she was the oldest and healthiest person in the world. Scientists found special genes in a woman's body that protected her from dementia and other diseases that are common in older people. Is the secret of longevity revealed? This was requested from the head of the laboratory of molecular genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences Konstantin Severinov
He confirmed that genes influence longevity, but this is not the only factor that affects a person's lifespan. “If we imagine that the genetic code of a person consists of three billion letters, and it differs from another person by three or five million letters, it is obvious that these people are completely different. But which of these three million letter positions, which makes a particular person himself, are responsible for a long life, we do not know, "- said the geneticist. None of the known genes that can affect longevity, this elderly lady did not have any special, the expert stated. According to him, this woman was a completely normal average person, but there was something else that allowed her to live a long time. Apparently, there were some genes that did not allow her to grow old, Konstantin Severinov suggested.that in the United States they are now actively engaged in researching such elderly people, determining their genetic code in order to identify something in common between them, which is not present in those who die early. But this is only the very beginning of the path, and it is difficult to draw any conclusions based on one genome of this Dutch long-liver, the geneticist Konstantin Severinov also refuted the judgment that all human life is written in genes. “It is obvious that our life experience and the situations in which we find ourselves, the choices that we make, are provided not only by genes, there is also upbringing, education and much more," the expert concluded. "The most important and strongest effect influencing to increase life expectancy, one simple thing has - systematic malnutrition, and, in general, starvation in childhood and during intrauterine development. If mothers are ready to condemn their children to this, it is likely that, if we do not take into account various life accidents, the child's lifespan will be increased, "the geneticist said. Konstantin Severinov explained this by the fact that when a person eats, he consumes like a rocket engine fuel that has oxidizers. “Oxidants are the oxygen we breathe. When we oxidize food, absorb it, a huge amount of reactive oxygen species is formed, which spoils us,”summed up the head of the laboratory of molecular genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences.which has oxidants. “Oxidants are the oxygen we breathe. When we oxidize food, absorb it, a huge amount of reactive oxygen species is formed, which spoils us,”summed up the head of the laboratory of molecular genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences.which has oxidants. “Oxidants are the oxygen we breathe. When we oxidize food, absorb it, a huge amount of reactive oxygen species is formed, which spoils us,”summed up the head of the laboratory of molecular genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences.