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| The New England Centenarian Study is actually comprised of several currently on-going studies. They are: |
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The Centenarian Prevalence Study | |
| This study attempts to find and
recruit all the centenarians (and their families) living in eight (8) towns
surrounding and including Boston, MA. As such, it is the only population-based
study of centenarians in North America. By choosing a circumscribed population
and enrolling approximately all of the centenarians in that population,
we hope to avoid selection bias and therefore obtain a valid and representative
picture of centenarians living in the northeast United States.
We are always recruiting prospective subjects for our study. If you are
a centenarian or know of a centenarian living in Boston or any of these
surrounding towns, Belmont, Cambridge, Somerville, Dedham, Quincy, Framingham,
Waltham, or Lexington, please contact us. |
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The Population Genetics Study | |
| For this study, we are carefully
analyzing the pedigrees of centenarians to determine if extreme longevity
is more prevalent among their families. If the families of centenarians
do turn out to show a prevalence for extreme longevity, then such findings
would strengthen the argument that genes play an important role in the rates
of aging and diseases associated with aging.
Thus far, our findings in this study support the fact that siblings of centenarians live longer. This tends to support the assertion that the ability to achieve extreme old age requires a genetic advantage relative to people who survive only to their mid to late eighties. Our findings help people realize that if members of their families generally
die at average life expectancy or younger, they need to take this as a
warning. They should practice good health habits and see their doctor
for screenings against cancers, high blood pressure, and other age-related
illnesses. |
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The Extreme Longevity in Families Study | |
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This study focuses on locating and verifying families with many members
who have reached extreme age. These families in particular may be especially
important in finding genes and other factors that promote longevity. |
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The Centenarian Sibling Pairs Study | |
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The prevalence of centenarians in the New England Centenarian study
is relatively rare, approximately 1 per 10,000. However, we noted that
the children of our centenarian subjects, who are in their seventies and
early eighties appear young for their ages. Also, as we collected pedigrees
on our subjects, we noted a high prevalence of siblings who are also long-lived.
Given these observations, we came up with the hypothesis that extreme
longevity is more prevalent among the families of our centenarians as
compared to the general population. To test this theory, we are screening
the DNA of subjects for areas of genes that they may have in common. If
we locate such regions among our centenarians and their siblings, it is
likely that these regions will contain genes that determine rates of aging
and susceptibility to diseases associated with aging. If you are over
the age of 98 and have physically and cognitively independent siblings
over the age of 90, or you know of siblings who meet these criteria, please
contact us. We would love to have you take part
in our study. |
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New Study | |
| We are conducting a nationwide
search for centenarians to participate in our longevity-enabling-gene study.
If you or a family member(s) could be eligible to participate in one of
our studies, please contact us. |
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