You have heard of the elderly. But how about the “wellderly”? The moniker is now being used to describe healthy seniors over the age of 80 who have been fortunate enough to live long – without any chronic diseases or the assistance of long-term medication.
What’s their secret? Scientists would like to know, too. In southern California, a group of researchers has launched the “Wellderly Study” to analyze the genes of some 1,000 healthy octogenarians, nonagenarians and centenarians. The researchers hope that by exploring the DNA of this long-lived group, they will have a better understanding of the genetics behind longevity and lifelong health.
For the Wellderly project, Scripps scientists will compare the DNA from healthy seniors with DNA taken from seniors who died from common diseases such as cancer, heart attack and stroke before they made it to 80. This second group has been dubbed the “Illderly.”
Many of the wellderly, the scientists note in the journal Nature, do have genes that should have made them susceptible to diseases – yet they’ve still managed to stay healthy.
The researchers suspect other genes must somehow be protecting them. It is those genes the scientists would like to know more about, and ultimately they will look at as many as 500 different genes in their effort to uncover some answers. Among them are genes involved in such key jobs as repairing DNA and handling insulin.
“A great many people carry the genes that cause heart attack, cancer and other diseases, but some have modifier genes that cancel out their risk – it’s nature’s way of protecting them,” said Dr. Eric J. Topol, the study’s lead investigator, in a press release. Topol is the director of Scripps Genomic Medicine. “These so-called ‘wellderly’ are, in fact, harboring the secrets of good health.”
Of course, DNA isn’t the only factor in longevity. There are things everyone can do to increase their odds of living a long and healthy life. Don’t smoke. Wear a seatbelt. Eat well-balanced meals. Maintain a healthy weight. Get regular exercise. See a doctor about any health concerns.
The Wellderly Study is exciting, though, because researchers hope to better understand the genetic mechanisms that keep people healthy and to translate their key discoveries into improvements in patient care. It is a novel approach to personal genomics, looking not at the genetic risk markers of disease, but at genetic armor.
If you’d like to be among the Wellderly volunteers in the study, or know someone who might, call Scripps at (800) 727-4777. To participate, you must be 80 or older, with no history of major chronic disease such as cancer or diabetes, and no long-term medication regimen. The program is open to people of all ethnicities living in the United States.
It should be noted that Navigenics is collaborating with Scripps Genomic Medicine on a different initiative to advance understanding of genomics. We are working with Scripps to research the predictive value of genetic risk markers, outcomes and behavior modification efficacy.
girisimc Nov 9, 2008
DNA is the main reason of long living without a doubt despite talkings about healthy life.