HHS HealthBeat (October 7, 2011)

Good old genes

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

To live to be very old, have good old genes. A researcher at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in New York City saw this in 447 people ages 95 to 112.

Nir Barzilai says their lifestyles weren’t more healthy than others born around the same time, so the difference must be in genes that favor long lives.

Barzilai advises those not genetically blessed:

``Keep their weight, exercise, and do all the other things that the doctors are telling them, because that’s proven to be right.’’ (8 seconds)

Barzilai advises this also for the blessed – just in case.

The study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: October 6, 2011