Understanding the Determinants of Exceptional Longevity

  1. Thomas Perls, MD, MPH; and
  2. Dellara Terry, MD, MPH
  1. From Boston University Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.

    Abstract

    Centenarians represent an extreme of life expectancy. They achieve their exceptional longevity in part by lacking genetic variations linked to premature death. Pedigree studies have shown a substantial familial component in the ability to survive to extreme old age, and a recent study demonstrated a locus on chromosome 4 linked to exceptional longevity, indicating the likely existence of at least one longevity-enabling gene in humans. The children of centenarians have markedly reduced relative risks for age-related diseases, particularly heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes, and are a promising model for genetic and phenotypic studies of 1) aging slowly relative to the general population and 2) the delay of and perhaps escape from important age-related diseases. These studies and those of other mammals and lower organisms show great promise for the delineation of important environmental and genetic determinants of aging well.

    Article and Author Information

    • Acknowledgments: The authors thank the American Association of Retired Persons for assistance with participant recruitment and dissemination of findings, and the centenarians and their family members who participate in the New England Centenarian Study.

    • Grant Support: By the American Federation of Aging Research's and Alliance for Aging Research's Paul Beeson Faculty Scholar in Aging Research Award, the Ellison Medical Foundation, the Institute for the Study of Aging, the Alzheimer's Association, and the National Institute on Aging (grant RO1 AG18721).

    • Potential Financial Conflicts of Interest: None disclosed.

    • Requests for Single Reprints: Thomas Perls, MD, MPH, Geriatrics Section, Boston University Medical Center, 88 East Newton Street, Boston, MA 02118; e-mail, thperls{at}bu.edu.

    • Current Author Addresses: Drs. Perls and Terry: Geriatrics Section, Boston University Medical Center, 88 East Newton Street, Boston, MA 02118.

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    1. Ann Intern Med September 2, 2003 vol. 139 no. 5 Part 2 445-449
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