Experts from the University of Edinburgh’s Usher Institute have created a scoring system based on combined effects of genetic variations that influence lifespan; and revealed new insights into disease and biological mechanisms involved in aging.
Genetic data from upwards of a half a million people was examined alongside records of their parent’s lifespan; some 12 areas of the human genome were pinpointed as having significant impact on lifespan including 5 sites which have not been previously reported. DNA sites with greatest impact on overall lifespan were those previously linked to fatal illnesses including heart disease and smoking related conditions; genes linked to other cancers not directly linked to smoking did not show up in this study, suggesting susceptibility to death caused by these cancers is either result of social and/or environmental factors, or as result of rarer genetic differences in affected people.
This study was conducted in hopes to discover genes that directly influence how quickly people age, it was noted if such genes exist their effects were too small to be detected in this study; and genes that affect the brain and heart were found to be responsible for most of the variations in lifespan.
