Secrets of Longevity May Lie in Long-lived Smokers, a ‘Biologically Distinct’ Group with Extraordinary Gene Variants

(Matt Rourke/AP)
THE WASHINGTON POST: Jeanne Calment, the French doyenne believed to be oldest person in the world when she died at the extreme age of 122, was known for three things: her quick wit, her fondness for bicycling around the small city where she grew up -- and the fact that she was a daily smoker.

Before her death in 1997, Calment was often asked the secret to her good health. She would respond with a laugh and describe how she would frequently consume two pounds of chocolate a week, drank generous amounts of port wine and became a smoker at age 21.

At a time when public health messages emphasize just how important it is to carefully balance diets and fitness regimes in order to live long lives, Calment is a reminder of that no matter what we do there may always be a part of our health that is beyond our control.

In an intriguing study published this week [Sept. 2015], researchers delved into the genetic makeup of long-lived smokers like Calment and found that their survival may be due to an innate resilience they were born with. » | Ariana Eunjung Cha | Thursday, September 10, 2015

We know it can kill us: Why people still smoke »

More Life-decoding the Secret of Aging | DW Documentary

May 28, 2022 Can the aging process be reversed - or even halted, altogether? If we manage to decode this final mystery of our human biology, we might soon be able to eradicate age-related illnesses like cancer, dementia and heart problems.

The race to invent the miracle pill is well underway. Today, international researchers are getting astonishingly close to realizing humanity’s dream of immortality.

The hunt for immortality gained traction with the discovery of Costa Rica’s so-called "Blue Zone,” by Luis Rosero-Bixby. In the "Blue Zone,” on the Nicoya Peninsular, he found a remarkable number of centenarians. Here, male life expectancy is the highest in the world. Their healthy lifestyle is one factor, but the promise of longevity is probably also because their telomeres - sections of DNA found at the end of chromosomes - are longer than those of the average person.

It’s a field of research currently being explored by Maria Blasco in Madrid. But this is just one of many possible factors influencing the process of aging. Senescent cells may also play a key role. Also known as "zombie cells”, these attack our body in old age and flood it with alarm signals until, at some point, we collapse under their weight. That’s a theory proposed by another researcher in Spain, Manuel Serrano.

A billion-dollar industry is already knocking impatiently at the lab doors. The first to market the miracle pill is guaranteed incredible wealth. That’s why investors are sponsoring young bio-startups in Hong Kong. Keen not be left out, US Big Tech is vying for the world’s best scientists. Alex Zhavoronkov has secured a slice of that pie, with a cash injection of more than 250 million dollars for his company’s work on aging research.

Whereas some pioneers’ visions burst like bubbles, others rush to get other, rather more dubious products onto the market. But their efficacy is now measurable. The epigenetic clock devised by Steve Horvath can measure our biological age, regardless of our actual age in years.

With his research on the thymus gland, California’s Greg Fahy managed to not only decelerate the aging process, but reverse it. His initial study on humans showed that a particular drug cocktail took an average two-and-a-half years off their age.

Young biohackers like Nina Khera from Boston want everyone to benefit from this research. Together with friends, she’s working on the "epigenetic clock for all”.

But while we’re busy trying to counter the aging process and all the illnesses it entails, fundamental questions arise: Should we be messing with nature like this? Are we about to overwhelm the planet with more and more people? Criminal biologist Mark Benecke in Cologne says that these questions are coming far too late.

Want to Live to 100? Dan Buettner Tells You How | Amanpour and Company

Dan Buettner is a National Geographic fellow and founder of The Blue Zones Project, a well-being improvement initiative launched in over 40 cities across the United States. It also inspired a cookbook called “The Blue Zones Kitchen,” based on the diet of people who live in these zones living long and healthy lives. Buettner tells Hari exactly what makes these places so special to him. Originally aired on January 17, 2020.

Secrets of Longevity May Lie in Long-lived Smokers, a ‘Biologically Distinct’ Group with Extraordinary Gene Variants

THE WASHINGTON POST: Jeanne Calment, the French doyenne believed to be oldest person in the world when she died at the extreme age of 122, was known for three things: her quick wit, her fondness for bicycling around the small city where she grew up -- and the fact that she was a daily smoker.

Before her death in 1997, Calment was often asked the secret to her good health. She would respond with a laugh and describe how she would frequently consume two pounds of chocolate a week, drank generous amounts of port wine and became a smoker at age 21.

At a time when public health messages emphasize just how important it is to carefully balance diets and fitness regimes in order to live long lives, Calment is a reminder of that no matter what we do there may always be a part of our health that is beyond our control. » | Ariana Eunjung Cha | Thursday, September 19, 2015

Island Where People Live Longer Than Anyone on Earth | 60 Minutes Australia

In 2013 Liz Hayes visited the magical island where people live longer than anyone else on earth. They're also happier and healthier. They have lower rates of cancer and heart disease and no dementia. So how do so many people live to be 100 and still tend their olive trees, drink lots of red wine and dance the night away? They reveal their secrets and you'll be very surprised by what they say.

Extreme Loneliness Worse for Health Than Obesity and Can Lead to an Early Grave, Scientists Say

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY: Feeling extreme loneliness on a long-term basis can be worse than obesity in terms of increasing the potentially lethal health risks that lead to premature death, scientists said.

Chronic loneliness has been shown to increase the chances of an early grave by 14 per cent, which is as bad as being overweight and almost as bad as poverty in undermining a person’s long-term wellbeing, a study has found.

As more people live longer, they are spending a bigger part of their lives feeling lonely. This is having a significant impact on their physical as well as mental health, the researchers found.

Loneliness is also becoming more common as people live alone or become isolated from relatives and friends, especially in retirement. Research has shown that at any given time between 20 and 40 per cent of older adults feel lonely. » | Steve Connor, Chicago | Sunday, February 16, 2014