[ExI] Very Old Don't Always Have Healthy Habits

[BillK]

Longevity Genes May Protect Them From Unhealthy Lifestyles

<http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/news/20110803/very-old-dont-always-have-healthy-habits>

Quote:
Aug. 3, 2011 -- Forget the stereotype pairing up longevity with clean living.

Men and women who live to age 95 and beyond, it seems, are overall no
better than the general population when it comes to health habits such
as watching their weight, eating well, and exercising, according to a
new study.

"They are just as bad as the rest of us," says researcher Nir
Barzilai, MD, director of the Institute for Aging Research at Albert
Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, New York.
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Exactly what percent of the population could have these exceptional
genes isn't known.

However, as Perls points out, studies done in the Seventh Day
Adventist community, known for their healthy choices, suggest
following good health habits could add up to eight more years of life.

"What that tells me is, the average bunch of us has the genetic makeup
in the presence of good health habits that should get us to our late
80s," he says, adding the additional with years to the average U.S.
life expectancy of about 80.

If you want to get beyond 88, he says, you may have to have the lucky
longevity genes.
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