Key to Long Life

[Guest guest]

This was on AOL new this morning and thought you might find it

interesting. The 6th paragraph mentions, in passing, that living on a

farm during childhood also increases your chances of a long life. Bet

it's all that good milk! Pity the USDA wants to do away with family

farms, eh?

Key to Long Life May Be Mom's Age at Birth

Reuters

(June 25) - People are more likely to see their 100th birthday,

research hints, if they were born to young mothers.

The age at which a mother gives birth has a major impact on how long

her child will live, two researchers from the University of Chicago's

Center on Aging told the Chicago Actuarial Association meeting this

spring.

The chances of living to the ripe old age of 100 -- and beyond --

nearly double for a child born to a woman before her 25th birthday,

Drs. Leonid Gavrilov and Natalia Gavrilova reported. The father's age

is less important to longevity, according to their research.

In a previous study, the husband and wife research team of Gavrilov

and Gavrilova identified birth order as a possible predictor of an

exceptionally long life. They observed that first-born children,

especially daughters, are much more likely to live to age 100.

But their latest research suggests that it is the young age of the

mother, rather than birth order, which is significant to longevity.

Using U.S. Census data, the Social Security Administration database,

and genealogical records, Gavrilov and Gavrilova identified 198

centenarians born in the U.S. from 1890 to 1893. They reconstructed

the family histories of these individuals to try to identify possible

predictors of longevity.

They found that while being born to a young mother was an important

predictor of reaching 100, other factors seem to help someone live an

exceptionally long life. These include growing up in the Western part

of the U.S., spending part of one's childhood on a farm, and being

born first.

" Centenarians represent the fastest growing age group in

industrialized countries, yet factors predicting exceptional longevity

and its time trends remain to be fully understood, " Gavrilov and

Gavrilova note.

The finding that children born to young women are more likely to live

to 100 " may have important social implications, " Gavrilov added in a

statement, " because many women postpone their childbearing to later

ages because of career demands. "

" This research helps us better understand the predictors of longevity

and quantify the implications on society and business, " said

Edwalds, a fellow of the Society of Actuaries, which co-sponsored the

study.

The researchers emphasize that why children born to younger mothers

have an advantage when it comes to longevity requires further study.

06/25/06