Longevity genes: who has a better chance of living to 100 years## Translation NotesI"ve provided a direct translation of the Russian title into English, maintaining the original meaning about genes related to longevity and the question of who has better c

Genetics plays a crucial role in reaching the century mark of life

As reported by TUT.AZ, Ekaterina Surkova, PhD in Biology and head of scientific communications at Genotek, told gazeta.ru about the key factors of longevity.

"It is genetic characteristics that come to the forefront in reaching this age. While genetics affects the probability of living to 87 years by only 25% (the remaining 75% depend on lifestyle), after this age a radical shift occurs: 75% is now attributed to genetic factors. Indirect confirmation of this is the fact that some long-lived individuals do not lead the healthiest lifestyle," the expert noted.

However, to live to 87 years, it is necessary to follow several golden rules: never smoke, avoid drug addiction, not abuse alcohol, maintain physical activity, get enough sleep, eat properly, know how to manage stress, and maintain social connections.

Scientists are actively studying the genomes of long-lived people (those over 90 years old) and super-centenarians (those who have crossed the 110-year threshold) to identify genes that contribute to longevity. Although a single "longevity gene" has not been discovered, some patterns have been established.

"For example, it has been shown that people with the APOE4 variant have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and cardiovascular diseases, which reduces life expectancy. Carriers of another variant of the same gene - APOE2 - have fewer risks. In families of long-lived individuals, the prevalence of the APOE2 variant is higher than the population average," the biologist concluded.