Growing old before time is down to genes

Published on Sunday 7 February 2010 21:55

SCIENTISTS have found genetic variants which may explain why some people age earlier and say their findings have important implications for understanding cancer and age-related diseases.

Dutch and British researchers analysed more than 500,000 variations from human gene maps and found people with particular variants are likely to be biologically older by three to four years.

"What our study suggests is that some people are genetically programmed to age at a faster rate. The effect was quite considerable in those with the variant," said Tim Spector from King's College London, who co-led the study.

"There is accumulating evidence that the risk of age-associated diseases including heart disease and some types of cancers are more closely related to biological rather than chronological age," said Nilesh Samani, a cardiology professor at Leicester University.