September 4th, 2026
This is far from the only study to indicate that the children of long-lived individuals tend also to be long-lived. The open question is the degree to which this is genetic versus cultural transmission. The construction of very large population databases over the past few decades has produced evidence for genetics to play only a small role in life expectancy for the vast majority of people. Similarly the weight of evidence for lifestyle choice, particularly physical fitness, to be the presently dominant influence on life expectancy is compelling. Against that background, the hypothesis that centenarians are centenarians because they have favorable gene variants that might form the basis for age-slowing therapies faces an uphill battle.
Centenarian lifespan extension is frequently accompanied by delayed onset of aging-associated diseases. Understanding the transgenerational patterns of this phenomenon is crucial for informing investigations of genetic and environmental factors that promote healthy aging. Three independent longitudinal cohorts were studied: LonGenity (2008-2024; New York City area), the New England Centenarian Study (NECS; 1995-2024; throughout the US), and the UK Biobank (2006-2022; throughout the UK). Participants were selected from the 3 studies based on their parental lifespan. Centenarians' offspring had at least 1 parent who reached age 100 years and were compared with control offspring of parents with shorter lifespans.
