How long will you live?

How long will you live?

While genetics have some influence on how long we will live, we realized from the video on epigenetics that even people with identical DNA can have different phenotypes (what we see), as well as  different health outcomes (i.e. cancer).  Longevity calculators take into account some gene-related factors and quite a few lifestyle factors.
The task for this week is to take an online quiz from AARP:
http://calculator.livingto100.com/calculator

You do not have to share your age of life expectancy, but I would like you to comment on whether or not your calculated age is what you expect to live.  Also, what do you think about the questions that they ask? Are there other things they should/shouldn't include?

I got 105, which I doubt will happen.  I'm probably an average to above average healthy person, but I frequently engage in high risk behaviors, which weren't addressed under the lifestyle type of questions.  For example, I used to race crotch rockets and play roller derby when I lived in New York.  I still have and ride a bike too fast, I also drive too fast even though I wear a seatbelt.  I like to jump out of airplanes and I snowboard seasonally.  I also was in the military, still am affiliated with it, and will go back once I graduate college.  Besides travel opportunities so graciously provided through them, I also travel a lot on my own, which exposes me to a lot of different environments and people.

So maybe if I stay healthy and active and my genes don't forsake me and grow some crazy cancer, I would have a shot at living a long life, but I have a feeling I'll do something dumb in the mean time that will halt or slow my longevity.

I also thought it was funny how the only question related to sex was in the same question regarding illegal drugs.  Illegal drugs are bad, (safe) sex is not, rather it is probably beneficial on a lot of different levels such as with stress relief, for example.

Is Aging Genetic

Is Aging Genetic?

 I hope that everyone enjoyed our guest speaker, Dr. Bronikowski.  I thought her research on genes and exercise in mice was a great segue into what we will be discussing the next class: the role of genes in aging. 

There is no assigned reading for next class, but I would like each person to find an article (doesn't have to be from a peer-reviewed journal) that discusses the importance of genetics.  In your post I would also like you to discuss your own interpretations of the article, as well as your initial understanding on the importance of genes and aging.  (For example, do genes play a larger role than environmental influences? Are certain characteristics more influenced by genes?)


Tasks for this week:
1. Find a reading/article on the importance of genetics in aging.
2. Reflect upon the article that you found. How does the information fit with your own conceptions of genes and aging.
3. Comment on the readings/reflections of two other class members.

http://www.genetics.org/cgi/content/full/169/1/265

The article details experimentation on mice concerning genetic influences in aging.

It seems as though scientists are making progress on isolating and manipulating genes to determine their effects on aging, or at least mortality in this case.

Either way the research should be setting a groundwork for future exploits in the field.

I do not know a lot about genetics and genes or any of that business but I'm sure genetics play a pretty important role in aging.  Not alone though, because I think aging is influenced by environmental and lifestyle factors as well.  If scientists could figure out how to slow or halt aging through medicine or gene therapy (or whatever) that might be neat.  But I wouldn't want to live to be 1,000.