Parental lifespan genes could hold clue to longer life

(University of Exeter) The study undertook a genome-wide search for variants influencing how long participants' parents lived. The team studied 389,166 volunteers who took part in the UK Biobank, with confirmation in the US Health and Retirement Study and the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. Eight genetic variants had already been linked for lifespan, mainly involved in heart disease and dementia. The latest study, published in the journal Aging NY, has expanded this to 25 genes in all, with some specific to mothers' or fathers' lifespan separately.
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news