Scientists claim to have created a drug that will allow people to live beyond the age of 100.
The drug, based on three genes that extend life and prevent diseases such as Alzheimer’s, will help even the obese and smokers reach the century mark.
Being obese or a heavy smoker doesn’t limit your chances of reaching a century or preventing such diseases.
A research team from the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York found the three genes by examining the DNA of 500 Ashkenazi Jews (Jews of German and Eastern European descent) with an average age of 100.
They were chosen after previous studies found the group to have a very specific genetic footprint because their bloodline had been kept very pure.
The study subjects shared few common ancestors who had longevity genes, otherwise the chances of living this long are extremely rare–one in 10,000, the researchers said.
Dr. Nir Barzilai, who led the New York study, said several labs were now racing to create a pill that mimics these genes and hopes the drug will be on the market in the next 3 years.
“The advantage of finding a gene that involves longevity is we can develop a drug that will imitate what this gene is doing. If we can imitate that, then long life can be terrific,” he said.
Professor Judith Phillips says, “It’s a huge opportunity because the ageing population is growing anyway. They would be a huge resource because people would be able to work longer and they would have a healthier life, and it would revolutionize the way we look at older people. And it would reduce costs in terms of care.”
Of the three longevity genes discovered, two are said to enhance the production of “good” cholesterol, which in turn minimizes the risk of heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and stroke. The third gene is linked to reduced diabetes risk.
But Andrew Ketteringham, of the Alzheimer’s Society, said, “Alzheimer’s disease, the most common dementia, is likely to be caused by a combination of genetic disposition, lifestyle and life events. Many genes are probably involved.”
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