Taking regular exercise, drinking only in moderation and watching what you eat makes no difference to one's chances of reaching 100. Those who are lucky to live long have simply been dealt a good genetic hand at birth, a research has found.
The study was carried out by researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, who interviewed 477 very long lived Ashkenazi Jews and compared them with over 3,000 others born during the same period.
They found those who lived extremely long lives ate just as badly, drank and smoked just as much, took just as little exercise and were just as likely to be overweight as their long-gone friends.
Prof Nir Barzilai, director of the college's Institute of Ageing Research, said previous studies of this group had identified certain genes which protected them from the effects of a normal Western lifestyle. But critics argued the individuals themselves had lived healthier lives than others, and this research indicates it really is the genes that matter.
"In previous studies of our centenarians, we've identified gene variants that exert particular physiology effects, such as causing significantly elevated levels of HDL or 'good' cholesterol," said Prof Barzilai.
"A 109-year-old woman told me she had smoked 40 cigarettes a day for 90 years. While most people would have died of lung cancer or heart disease, she soldiered on." He added.
Prof Barzilai emphasized that the research did not mean most people could live unhealthy lives and not expect to pay a price in the end.
He said: "Although this study demonstrates that centenarians can be obese, smoke and avoid exercise, those lifestyle habits are not good choices for most of us who do not have a family history of longevity.
This research, published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society.


据英国《每日电讯报》8月3日报道，研究发现，经常锻炼、适量饮酒和注重饮食并不会对人长命百岁起到作用，那些幸运的长寿者们只是本身就有优良的长寿基因。


负责此课题的纽约阿尔伯特•爱因斯坦医学院的研究者们对477名长寿的德系犹太人进行了采访，并将这些人与其他3000名同一时期出生的人进行对比。


研究者们发现，与他们早早去世的朋友们一样，那些特别长寿的人吃得也不好，也没少抽烟和饮酒，而且他们也很少运动，甚至还可能超重。

该学院老化研究所负责人尼尔-巴兹莱教授表示，在以前对这一群体进行的研究中就发现他们体内有些特定基因会使他们免受日常西式生活方式的影响。但是，评论者们认为这是长寿者良好的个人生活习惯在起作用，而此次研究表明，活得更久确实取决于基因。


巴兹莱教授说："在以前对百岁老人进行研究时，我们发现，基因变异会对人的生理机能产生特别影响，例如，它可使高密度脂蛋白或'好'的胆固醇水平明显提高。"


"有一位109岁的老人告诉我，90年来她每天抽40根烟。如果换做是其他人，早就患肺癌或心脏病死了，而她却活着。"他补充说。

巴兹莱教授强调，该研究结果并不意味着拥有不健康生活方式的人依然可以在年老时不为之付出任何代价。

他说："尽管这项研究表明，百岁老人也有可能是肥胖、吸烟、缺乏锻炼的，但这些生活习惯对于我们这些没有家族长寿史的人来说可不是什么好选择。"

该研究发表在《美国老年社会杂志》上。

• research [ri´sə:tʃ] n.&vi.调查；探究；研究 (初中英语单词)
• extremely [ik´stri:mli] ad.极端地；非常地 (初中英语单词)
• director [di´rektə] n.指导者；....长；导演 (初中英语单词)
• institute [´institju:t] n.学院 vt.建立；设置 (初中英语单词)
• previous [´pri:viəs] a.先，前，以前的 (初中英语单词)
• normal [´nɔ:məl] a.正规的 n.正常状态 (初中英语单词)
• western [´westən] a.西的；西方的 (初中英语单词)
• cancer [´kænsə] n.癌；毒瘤 (初中英语单词)
• journal [´dʒə:nəl] n.日记；日报；杂志 (初中英语单词)
• moderation [,mɔdə´reiʃən] n.适度；温和；节制 (英语四级单词)
• taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)
• einstein [´ainstain] n.爱因斯坦 (英语六级单词)