While there has been long standing speculation among the scientific community that genes trump lifestyle in determining our centenarian chances, the results of a newly released study actually prove for the first time ever that there is indeed a genetic trait associated with those who live 20 years longer than the rest of the population.

Now, before you go canceling that gym membership and head to the closest fast-food venue, don’t give up on diet and exercise just yet. Living long and living well still takes more than just winning the genetic lottery – a healthy lifestyle and other factors are also significant.

Paola Sebastiani and Thomas Perls of Boston University led the study which looked at the genomes of 1,055 Caucasians born between 1890 and 1920 and compared them to 1,267 people born later. Amazingly, researchers were able to identify a specific cluster of 150 genetic markers that predicted with 77 percent accuracy, which came from the people over 100.

“Seventy-seven percent is very high accuracy for a genetic model,” Sebastiani told reporters. “But 23 percent error rate also shows there is a lot that remains to be discovered.”

While few of us really understand all the scientific aspects of genetics, the fact that the majority (77%) of the centenarians shared a similar set of genes is an impressive finding which may help us identify screenings and strategies to determine what treatments may be needed in people down the road. However, the 23% of centenarians in the study who did not share this gene set obviously means it’s not just about genes.

Of particular interest, however, was the identification of 19 specific groups of genetic signatures among the centenarians. Some genes correlate with longer survival, others delayed the onset of various age-related diseases such as dementia.

While there are definitely different paths of longevity, this study’s identification of the genetic connection clearly found that what predisposes one to a long life is not lack of disease associated variants, but rather the presence of protective variants.

In my opinion, this is one of the most exciting aspects of the study because it helps better explain why some people live long in healthy ways, while others may not. In general, the centenarians remained in good health longer than average, not developing diseases associated with old age until in their 90s.

Most gerontologists, scientists, and medical experts in the aging arena have long believed there was a genetic connection that likely protected centenarians by delaying aging and preventing age-related diseases, and now it’s fact.

Yet while there is no publicly available genetic test for this cluster of genes, you can be assured that someone probably will start selling one soon. But perhaps a more prudent approach would be to take a sneak peek at your genetic code by looking at how long people in your family live, as well as paying attention to how well you live.

 “We can predict with about 77% accuracy the probability of a person living to 100,” Perls told reporters. “The catch is, to achieve that age, you still have to live a healthy life – exercise, avoid obesity, don’t smoke and don’t drink too much.”

Definite pearls of wisdom from Tom Perls, M.D., M.P.H., and lead author of the study.

Kelly Ferrin, gerontologist, longevity expert and author of “What’s Age Got To Do With It? Secrets to Aging in Extraordinary Ways” has been studying aging and retirement issues for over 25 years. She was one of the first to ever receive a degree in this field from the prestigious Andrus School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California, the top school in the nation for age-related studies.

website: kellyferrin.com ••• email: ageangel@earthlink.net