This account is provided by Mikhail Artemovich Bolkov, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Research Fellow at the Institute for Aging Studies within the Russian Gerontological Research and Clinical Center of the Pirogov University, under the Russian Ministry of Health.
A recent investigation conducted by researchers from São Paulo, involving 160 centenarians, enhances current scientific understanding and aligns with the findings generated and ongoing at our own center. The Pirogov Russian Gerontological Research and Clinical Center has executed an extensive study encompassing a considerably larger cohort of long-lived individuals and supercentenarians. This research involved scrutinizing dozens of distinct metrics, including the function of the immune system. It was confirmed that the immune apparatus is paramount not only for mere survival but crucially for the attainment of longevity. This is logical, as the capacity to successfully fend off malignancies and infectious agents directly impacts lifespan and quality of life.
It is crucial to appreciate that inflammation represents an inherent feature of the immune response, essential for our existence. Nevertheless, much like any restorative or cleaning procedure, its duration must be strictly bounded. The body maintains precise governance over inflammatory events. Disruptions in these regulatory mechanisms can manifest as autoimmune disorders, where the immune system mistakenly targets the body’s own tissues; autoinflammatory conditions, characterized by an untamed immune reaction to various stimuli; or cytokine storms, which follow an overzealous response to an infection.
While the efficacy of the immune system diminishes with advancing age, overall inflammatory status tends to rise. The incremental build-up of senescent cells and damaged tissues across the decades leads to an elevated baseline level of inflammatory signals, which detrimentally affects systemic health.
Individuals who achieve great longevity exhibit superior command and equilibrium over these physiological processes.
There is no singular “longevity gene” acting as a definitive guarantee for a prolonged lifespan. Out of approximately 21,000 genes and 270,000 regulatory elements, none possesses decisive power in isolation. Longevity is instead a complex convergence of genetic programs interacting with extrinsic influences.
Genetics account for approximately 10% of lifespan variation across the general population. The remainder hinges upon environmental conditions during development, lifestyle choices, and endured stressors. However, extended lifespans frequently cluster within specific families, in which instances the influence of genetic components becomes more pronounced (though it still remains under the 50% threshold).
Among the genes frequently implicated in longevity are Klotho, Foxo, APOE, SIRT, GDF11, and numerous others. While these genes are present in everyone, subtle variations in their sequence or activity levels among different individuals can modulate lifespan. Genes crucial for DNA damage resistance, neural system resilience, metabolic efficiency, and immune function rank highly among these influential factors.
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