July 6, 2010: A new aging study from Boston University

>> TONIGHT ON "GREATER

BOSTON," LIVING LONGER.

THE GENETIC MARKERS THAT

COULD DETERMINE OUR LIFE

SPAN.

ALSO TONIGHT, IS THE COST

OF A VACATION JUST TOO

MUCH THIS YEAR.

BUSINESS CONTRIBUTOR KRIS

FRIESWICK ON A WAY TO SWAP

OUT SOME TIME AWAY.

AND THE M.I.T. PROGRAM

OFFERING HIGH SCHOOL

STUDENTS THE CHANCE OF A

LIFETIME.

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>> GOOD EVENING.

I'M KARA MILLER IN TONIGHT

FOR EMILY ROONEY.

STAYING YOUNG BY SIPPING

FROM THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

HAPPENS ONLY INFANTS SEE,

BUT LIVING TO A RIPE OLD

AGE CAN AND DOES HAPPEN

MORE FREQUENTLY THESE

DAYS.

AND NOW LOCAL RESEARCHERS

SAY THERE MAY BE A GENETIC

MARKER THAT PREDISPOSES

SOME PEOPLE TO MAKE IT TO

100.

IN JUST A MINUTE, WE'LL

TALK WITH A SCIENTIST THAT

HAS CAUSED A STIR BY

SAYING THERE IS A GENETIC

PREDICTOR OF LONGEVITY.

IF YOU COULD FIND OUT IF

YOU HAD A LONG LIFE GENE,

WOULD YOU?

>> I THINK EVERYTHING IS

MEANT IN LIFE.

IF GOD WANTS ME TO LIVE TO

100, I WILL.

>> IF I KNOW I'M GOING TO

LIVE TO 100, I MIGHT THINK

DIFFERENTLY ABOUT HOW I

SPEND MY 401K.

>> KIND OF LIKE A MOVIE OR

A BOOK, I DON'T WANT TO

KNOW THE ENDING.

>> AND JOINING ME NOW IS

ONE OF THE RESEARCHERS WHO

HEADED THE AGING STUDY,

THOMAS PERLS OF THE BOSTON

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE.

>> MY PLEASURE.

>> THIS IS NOT JUST

REGULAR LONGEVITY THAT YOU

STEADYED, IT IS

SOMETHING -- STUDDED, IT

IS SOMETHING A LITTLE

DIFFERENT.

>> WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT

THE GENETICS OF LIVING TO

AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCIES,

BUT RATHER PEOPLE WHO LIVE

TO 100 AND OLDER.

WE HAD A COUPLE OF 100 AND

OLDER, OUR OLDEST WAS 119.

>> DO YOU HIT EXTENDED

LONGEVITY WHEN YOU HIT

100.

>> YES, FOR ALL INTENTS

AND PURPOSES, THAT'S OUR

NUMBER.

>> SO TO BE IN THE STUDY,

YOU HAD TO BE 100?

>> RIGHT.

>> WHAT DID YOU FIND OUT

ABOUT THESE PEOPLE WHO HIT

100 OR THOSE WHO WERE EVEN

OLDER.

>> WE EXPECTED -- THE

STUDY HAS BEEN GOING ON IN

NEW ENGLAND IN ABOUT 1995.

THE KIDS DO TERRIFICALLY

WELL IN THEIR LATER 70s

AND EARLY 80s, AND WE

SEE CLUSTERING AMONG

FAMILIES FOR THIS TRAIT.

THAT'S WHAT LET US TO DO

THIS GENETIC STUDY.

ESSENTIALLY WHAT WE FOUND

IS THERE IS A LARGE GROUP

OF VARIANTS.

AND THEY DO A PRETTY GOOD

JOB PREDICTING THE GENETIC

PREDISPOSITION FOR

PREDICTING ONE'S AGE.

>> WHAT IF A FAMILY REALLY

EMPHASIZES EATING FRUITS

AND VEGETABLES, OR SMOKING

IS BAD.

HOW DO YOU GET RID OF

THOSE KINDS OF LIFESTYLE

FACTORS?

>> WHAT WE ENDED UP

DOING -- AND LIFESTYLE IS

REALLY IMPORTANT.

WE SHOULD TALK ABOUT THAT.

BUT FOR THE PURPOSES OF

THIS STUDY, WE HAD A VERY

LARGE

POPULATION-CONTROLLED

GROUP OF ABOUT 4,000

INDIVIDUALS.

SO YOU EXPECT TO GET A

PRETTY GOOD MIX OF

PEOPLE'S BEHAVIORS AND SO

ON, EVEN GEOGRAPHIC

LOCATION, WHAT HAVE YOU,

IN THERE.

AND REALLY VERY SURPRISING

TO US, THESE SETS OF

MARKERS, ON JUST GENETIC

INFORMATION ALONE, DID A

PRETTY GOOD JOB OF

DIFFERENTIATING OUR OLDER

PEOPLE FROM THAT.

>> AND YOU HAD MARKERS OF

PREDICTING IF PEOPLE WOULD

HAVE THIS EXTRAORDINARY

LIFE SPAN, RIGHT?

>> RIGHT.

AND THEN WE WENT ON TO

DEVELOP THESE THINGS

CALLED GENETIC SIGNATURES

THAT DID A PRETTY GOOD --

THERE WERE 19 DIFFERENT

GENETIC SIGNATURES AMONG

THE 801 GENTARIANS.

AND THEY WERE VERY

PREDICTIVE OF SUB TRAITS.

SO THE SIGNATURE

ASSOCIATED WITH THESE

THINGS CALLED LONGEVITY

VARIANCE, THESE WERE 108

AND OLDER.

IT SHOWED THAT THE GENETIC

PREDISPOSITION GOT

STRONGER AND STRONGER AS

YOU GOT TO THE MOST

EXTREME AGES.

>> DO YOU FORESEE A TIME

WHEN PEOPLE WILL BE

SWABBING THE INSIDE OF

THEIR MOUTH AND SENDING IT

IN BY MAIL TO SOME

COMPANY, AND THEY'LL BE

SAYING, YOU'VE GOT THIS

PREDICTOR, THAT YOU'RE

GOING TO HAVE AN

EXTRAORDINARILY LONG LIFE.

IS THAT IN THE FUTURE?

>> I THINK IT IS GOING TO

HAPPEN NEXT WEEK, AND I

DON'T THINK IT IS A GOOD

IDEA.

WE REALLY WENT ABOUT DOING

THIS RESEARCH TO TRY AND

UNDERSTAND THE GENETIC

BASE OF EXCEPTIONAL

LONGEVITY, BUT THE IDEA

DOWN THE ROAD EVEN LOOKING

AT THE BIOLOGICAL

UNDERPINNINGS AND

UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE AGE

MORE SLOWLY AND WHY THE

CENTENARIANS MARKETLY

DELAY THEIR DISABILITY

WELL INTO THEIR 90s --

WE THINK IT IS VERY MUCH

IN THE REALM OF

RESPONSIBLE RESEARCH.

I DON'T THINK THESE

COMPANIES SHOULD AT ALL BE

USING THE TESTS SAYING

BASED UPON YOUR GENETICS,

WE CAN TELL YOU WHETHER

YOU'RE GOING TO LIVE TO

100.

I THINK THERE ARE HUGE

ETHICAL RAMIFICATIONS TO

THAT.

I THINK WHILE IT IS A

PRETTY ACCURATE TEST, 77%

ACCURACY, BUT 23% OF THE

TIME THEY'RE WRONG.

AND THERE ARE A NUMBER THE

OTHER REASONS WHY WE DON'T

THINK IT IS READY FOR

PUBLIC PRIME TIME.

>> BUT YOU DO SEE

COMPANIES TRYING TO MARKET

THIS ALMOST IMMEDIATELY?

>> YES, I DO.

>> LET'S MOVE FROM THE

PEOPLE WITH REAL EXTENDED

LIFE TO THE AVERAGE PERSON

TRYING TO LIVE TO 85, 90,

95, MAYBE 100.

HAVE YOU NOTICED, IN

STUDYING ALL OF THESE

PEOPLE WHO HAVE LIVED TO

100, HAVE YOU NOTICED

CERTAIN LIFESTYLE TRAITS

IN COMMON.

ARE PEOPLE SMOKING AND

DRINKING AND EATING

TERRIBLE FOODS AND STILL

LIVING THAT LONG?

>> I WOULD SAY I CAN COUNT

ON ONE HAND THE NUMBER OF

PEOPLE THAT DO REALLY BAD

THINGS TO THEMSELVES AND

GET TO BE CENTENARIANS.

BUT THEY HAVE SUPER

NATURAL THINGS.

BUT FOR THE MOST PART, THE

CENTENARIANS, IF THEY DID

SMOKE, IT WAS A LONG, LONG

TIME AGO.

IN THE '20s AND '30s.

WE DON'T SEE OBESE SENT

CENTENARIANS, BUT DO THEY

EXERCISE ALL THE TIME?

NO.

MOST OF US HAVE THE

GENETIC SIGNATURES TO GET

TO OUR MID-TO-LATE 80s,

AND BY VIRTUE OF HEALTHY

HABITS.

YOU DON'T SMOKE, YOU DON'T

DRINK, AND REGULAR

EXERCISE.

AVOID RED MEAT, MAYBE BE

VEGETARIAN, AND MANAGE

YOUR STRESS WELL.

MOST OF US WOULD GET TO

88.

MOST OF US LIVE TO AVERAGE

80 BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE

IN THE UNITED STATES

AREN'T TAKING GOOD CARE OF

THEMSELVES.

BUT DOING THESE THINGS, WE

ADD EIGHT YEARS AND WE

COMPRESS THE TIME THAT

WE'RE SICK TO THE END OF

OUR LIVES.

>> THAT'S ONE THE

INTERESTING QUESTIONS.

WHAT IS AT WORK?

JAPAN, FOR EXAMPLE, PEOPLE

LIVE ON AVERAGE FOUR YEARS

LONGER.

AND AMERICA IS 38th IN

LIVE EXPECTANCY, AND JAPAN

IS CLOSE TO THE TOP.

DO YOU ATTRIBUTE IT TO THE

JAPANESE HAVING BETTER

GENETICS OR BETTER HABITS.

>> I HAVE A SUSPICIOUS

THERE IS BETTER GENETICS

GOING ON, BUT FOR THE MOST

PART, THEY HAVE A

SEAFOOD-BASED DIET.

THEY, PERHAPS, WALK A LOT

MORE.

WE'RE SEEING A LITTLE BIT

OF A NARROWING OF THE GAP,

UNFORTUNATELY, BECAUSE I

THINK THERE IS A LOT MORE

STRESS IN JAPAN'S SOCIETY,

AND A LOT MORE SMOKING,

AND MAYBE LESS EXERCISE.

I HOPE FOR THEM THEY'RE

NOT GETTING SO

AMERICANIZED.

>> WE'VE HEARD A LOT OF

TALK IN RECENT YEARS ABOUT

THE SO-CALLED BLUE ZONES.

PLACES LIKE OKINAWA, AND

SARDINIA, AND LOMA LINDA.

AFTER HAVING DONE THESE

STUDIES, DO YOU FEEL THESE

CENTENARIANS ARE LIVING

THAT WAY BECAUSE THEY HAVE

MIRACULOUS GENETICS, OR

THAT COMMUNITY HAS SAID

LET'S WALK AROUND, OR A

LOT OF PLACES THEY DON'T

RETIRE EVER.

>> DAN BUTNER WHO RUNS

THIS -- THAT'S HIS

MESSAGE.

THE SEVENTH DAY

ADVENTIS -- THEY ARE

DICTATED BY THEIR

RELIGION.

THEY DON'T HAVE MORE

CENTENARIANS, BUT THEY

LIVE TO OLDER AGE IN GOOD

HEALTH BECAUSE OF GOOD

HEALTH HABITS.

IF AN AREA HAS A LOT MORE,

I DOUBT IT.

THERE IS NO REGION THAT

HAVE A LOT OF THESE SYN

CENTENARIANS.

THAT'S ALL MYTH.

>> SO IF YOU WERE GIVING

PEOPLE ADVICE, IT SOUNDS

LIKE IT IS HABITS MORE

THAN GENETICS.

>> I WOULD SAY HABITS IS

INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT FOR

ALL OF US.

IF YOU WANT TO LIVE THE

ADDITIONAL 10, 15 YEARS

BEYOND THE AGE OF 90, YOU

MAY NEED SOME GENETIC

PREDISPOSITION.

AND I DON'T THINK AT SOME

POINT YOU NEED A TEST TO

TELL YOU THAT.

IF THERE ARE PEOPLE IN

YOUR FAMILY LIVING INTO

THEIR LATE 90S OR EARLY

100s, YOU MIGHT HAVE

WHAT IT TAKES.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR

JOINING US.

>> MY PLEASURE.

THANK YOU.

>> AND WHEN WE CONTINUE, A

BARGAIN WAY TO VACATION.