Washington University to lead study of longevity

ST. LOUIS -- Researchers in St. Louis are seeking the source of the fountain of youth.

A team from the Washington University School of Medicine will head a five-year, $4 million study of people who live exceptionally long and healthy lives -- especially those who live past 100. The study is expected to begin this fall.

"The trick is not just to live long, but to live disease free," said Michael Province, professor of biostatistics and genetics and head of the study. "We want to find out how people do it."

The 85-and-over population is the fastest growing segment of America. It is projected to grow from 4 million in 2000 to 19 million in 2050. There are currently about 76,000 Americans age 100 or older. By 2010, that number is expected to rise to 129,000.

"The goal of the study is to help us understand why it is that some people live so long and so healthy," said Winnie Rossi, a planning assistant for the Bethesda, Md.-based National Institute on Aging. "When we look at children of exceptionally long-lived, healthy people, they also seem to live very long and very healthy lives as well."

Why some people reach extremely old age while others die young has long been a mystery. Scientists believe environmental factors play a role, but research indicates our fates are partly determined at birth.

"There is preliminary evidence from many sources that genes play a significant role, especially for the oldest of the old, those who live past 100," Province said.

The study will be funded with a grant from the NIA.

The money will establish a Data Management and Coordinating Center for the Exceptional Longevity Family Study. The center here will link with three other NIA-funded study centers to be announced later this month.

The study centers will gather health and genetic information from more than 3,000 long-lived volunteers and their descendants. The center here will tabulate and analyze the data.

Researchers will look at genetic risks for serious diseases -- cancer, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, Province said. They also will ask about personal habits and medical histories, and perform clinical tests.

Roy Smith, director of the Huffington Center on Aging at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said an understanding of the genetic makup of the exceptionally long-lived could eventually help others not only live longer, but live better.

"You could figure out how to stimulate that gene so that rather than fading away into a nursing home, you could keep those individuals active longer," Smith said.

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On the Net:

National Institute on Aging, http://www.nia.nih.gov

Washington University School of Medicine, http://medicine.wustl.edu

Huffington Center on Aging: www.hcoa.org