Nature, Nurture, or Neither?

Written by Dan Buettner

	Photo from my visit to Okinawa (2005). Life expectancy in Okinawa is the highest in Japan, and since the Japanese life span is the longest in the world, it follows that Okinawans are the world's longest living people.

In an effort to locate the genes that may explain longevity, an international collaborative of longevity experts called "Genetics of Healthy Aging"  identified pairs of siblings older than 90, and took blood samples, checked for mental fitness and asked several questions about diet and lifestyle.   

In a typical Western population, only one in 100 people reach the age of 90. The incidence of siblings in the same family reaching age 90 is perhaps 10 times rarer and may be explained by genes that favor longevity. 

While the study is not complete, so far no special genes have been identified. According to one researcher, who interviewed over 100 pairs of 90+ brothers and sisters in Greece, a few factors seem to be associated with hitting the 90 year old mark. 

• They have low stress
• They grow and eat their own food
• They drink wine
• They don’t smoke
• Live away from the city
• The live away from noise.
• Most live in the mountains—many of them live in the last house on the hill.

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