Live longer and healthier with gene FOX03a

William Atkins
Saturday, 27 September 2008 02:28

Science - Health

To alleviate such lack of data, they decided, “to more precisely assess potential genetic contributions to human longevity from genes linked to IIS signaling.”

The researchers studied “a large, homogeneous, long-lived population of men” with a Japanese heritage.

They found that the FOX03a gene, a member of the FOX family of forkhead transcription factors, strongly influenced human longevity.

FOX proteins are a family of transcription factors that play a major role in regulating the involvement of genes in cell growth, multiplication, separation, and longevity.

U.S. geriatrician Bradley J. Willcox, one of the researchers in the study, stated, “This is the first evidence in humans that all of these things that we see in animals appear to work in people.” [Science News: “Thank mom, dad for extra years,” September 27, 2008 issue, page 13]

They also found that “Long-lived men also presented several additional phenotypes linked to healthy aging, including lower prevalence of cancer and cardiovascular disease, better self-reported health, and high physical and cognitive function, despite significantly older ages than controls. “

In addition, thee researchers stated, “Long-lived men also exhibited several biological markers indicative of greater insulin sensitivity and this was associated with homozygosity for the FOX03a GG genotype."

To validate their results, the scientists urge that further studies be conducted on the FOX03A gene and longevity in other populations of humans. They also want additional studies to be conducted in order to learn more about how FOX03A exactly affects life span in humans.