Secrets of the 'Wellderly'

Scientists Hope to Crack the Genetic Code of Those Who Live the Longest Wall Street Journal, September 19, 2008 As the oldest person in the world, Henrikje van Andel-Schipper attributed her longevity to a slice of pickled herring and a tumbler of orange juice every day. If pressed, she'd say tartly that "breathing" also helped prolong life. When this Dutch dowager died in 2005 at age 115, researchers discovered that she had almost none of the chronic physical or mental ailments associated with aging, according to a postmortem medical assessment published last month in the journal Neurobiology of Aging. She supported herself until she was 105. Up to her death, she was more alert and engaged than people half her age, cognitive testing showed. Indeed, when the anatomists actually counted her neurons, they discovered she had the brain of a woman 50 years younger. Based on animal experiments, gerontologists believe that one key to a healthy, longer lifespan may be found in a few master genes that affect cellular responses to famine, drought and other survival stresses. The more active these genes are, the longer an organism seems to survive -- at least in the laboratory. Moreover, researchers are convinced that some genes may protect us against the risks of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and dementia.