The secret of Asian longevity
A feature of mitochondrial DNA, which is more common in Chinese centenarians, was discovered by scientists at Fudan University in Shanghai. The results of the study are published in the latest issue of the journal Nature China.
To collect the material, Chinese geneticists went to the East Chinese city of Zhugao (Jiangsu Province), known for a large number of centenarians - currently more than 200 citizens live there, whose age has passed the 100-year mark. In total, 463 people aged over 95 and 40-49 years, as well as 926 volunteers aged 60 to 69 years took part in the survey.
After a comparative analysis, experts found a link between age and the mtDNA haplogroup: Haplogroups N9 and M9 were more common in young people than in centenarians. The third of the most common "Asian" haplogroups, D4, includes 21.7% of those surveyed in the older age group. In the groups of 60-69 and 40-49 years, carriers of this haplogroup make up 16.4% and 15.8%, respectively. A study by Shanghai scientists, which started in 2007, suggests further observations of the surveyed groups for 20 years.
One of the important features of mitochondrial DNA is that it is transmitted only through the maternal line, i.e. the revealed tendency to a longer life expectancy is transmitted exclusively through the female line.
According to researchers from Fudan University, their study will help shed light on the phenomenon of "Asian longevity". Thus, the recent results of the work of their Japanese colleagues also confirm the more frequent occurrence of mitochondrial haplogroups D4 in Japanese over the age of 100 years.
At the same time, geneticists emphasize that the contribution of heredity to life expectancy is most likely about 25%. The remaining 75%, according to one of the leaders of the Chinese research project on longevity, Wang Xiaofeng, account for lifestyle, inner disposition and psychological resistance to stress, as well as the influence of the environment.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of AMI-TASS22.09.2009