What is the secret of a long life?

|Academic
|Academic Reading Passage 1 | 7 March 2024
This year, the number of retired pensioners in the UK exceeded the number of under
18 years old for the first time in history. That is remarkable in its own right, but the
real 'population explosion' has been among the oldest of the old — the centenarians.
In fact, this imbalance is the fastest growing demographic in much of the developed
world. In the UK, the number of centenarians has increased by 60 per cent since the
early 20th century. And their ranks are set swell even further, thanks to the ageing
baby-
baby-boomer generation: by 2030 there will be about a million worldwide.

These trends raise social, ethical, and economic dilemmas. Are medical advances
artificially prolonging life, with hide regard for the quality of that life? If growing
numbers of elderly people become dependent on state or familial support, society
faces skyrocketing costs and commitments. Yet researchers who study the oldest old
have made a surprising discovery that presents a less pessimistic view of the future
than many anticipate.

It is becoming clear that people who break through the 90-90-plus barrier represent a
physical elite. Far from gaining a longer burden of disability, their extra years tend to
be healthy ones. And supercentenarians, people aged 110 or over, are even better
examples of ageing well. The average supercentenarian had freely gone about their
daily life up until the age of 105 or so, some five to ten years longer even than
centenarians.

One of the most comprehensive studies comes from Denmark. In 1998 Kare
Christensen, at the University of Southern Denmark, contacted every single one of
3600 people born in 1905 who was still alive. Assessing their health over the
subsequent decade, he found that the proportion of people who managed to remain
independent throughout was constantly around one- one-third of the total. Each individual
risked becoming more infirm, but the unhealthiest
unhealthiest ones passed away at earlier ages,
leaving the strongest behind. In 2005, only 166 of the people in Christensen's sample
were still alive, but one-
one-third of those were still entirely self-
self-sufficient.

Christensen's optimistic findings are echoed in studies

studies all over the world. In the MC,
Carol Brayne at the University of Cambridge studied 958 people aged over 90, and
found that only one-
one-quarter of them were living in accommodation specifically catering
for the needs of older people. Research in China reveals
reveals that centenarians and
nonagenarians spend fewer days ill and in bed than younger elderly groups. Of course,
people can live independently without being entirely healthy, and it is true that most
centenarians suffer from some kind of ailment. These range from osteoarthritis to
simple loneliness.

Not all the oldest old survive by delaying illness or disability, though. Many soldier
through it. Jessica Even of Ohio State University examined the medical histories of over

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400 centenarians. She found that those who achieve extreme longevity tend to fall into
three categories. About 40 per cent were 'delayers', who avoided chronic diseases until
chronic
after the age of 80. Another 40 per cent were 'survivors', who suffered from chro nic
diseases before the age of 80 but lived longer to tell the tale. The final 20 per cent
were 'escapers', who reached their century with no sign of the most common chronic
diseases. Intriguingly, one-
one-third of male centenarians were in this category, compared
compared
with only 15 per cent of women. In fact, the two sexes fare very differently when it
comes to longevity. There are far more female centenarians, but the reasons for this
fewer
are unclear. Certainly, women tend to lead healthier lifestyles and experience fe wer
serious accidents. They also go to their doctor more. Men are more prone to risky
behaviour and chronic illness, so it must be genetics which allows some men to reach
extreme old age. Evidence of this comes from longevity hotspots.

The Japanese island of Okinawa is the front runner. At 58 centenarians per 100,000
people, it has the world's highest proportion in this age group, with Sardinia and
Iceland not too far behind. All three are relatively isolated island communities, which
leads to less genetic variation amongst inhabitants. In these places, the result has been
a predisposition towards a longer life. Of course, members of such communities usually
share a particular environment, too, but this alone cannot explain longevity.
Gerontologists have emphasised the importance of regular exercise, so anyone aiming
to reach a century should not underestimate this. They have also found that the
influence on lifespan of social factors such as wealth fades as we age. By comparing
10,000 pairs of Scandinavian twins, Christensen found that genes are key, but that
they only start exerting a strong influence on our lifespan
lifespan after the age of 60. Before
then, those who are both identical and nonidentical
nonidentical have largely independent chances
of reaching a given age.

Longevity genes have also been found in abundance in other organisms, including over
70 in particular worms. Unfortunately,
Unfortunately, it is a different story in humans. While many
genes have been suggested to affect lifespan, very few have been consistently verified
in multiple populations.

Questions 1-
1 -7
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?

In boxes 1-
1-7 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE If the statement agrees with the information

FALSE If the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN If there is no information on this

1. The greatest growth in the centenarian population across the world is in the UK.
2. Fewer families today are looking after their elderly members.

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3. People who live beyond 90 years old are likely to be in good health.
4. Centenarians tend to be in better physical health than supercentenarians.
5. None of the oldest survivors in Christensen's study could take care of themselves.
6. Research findings from Cambridge and China conflicted with Christensen's findings
in Denmark.
7. Centenarians may suffer from stronger feelings of isolation than people a generation
younger.

Questions 8-
8-13
Answer the questions below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for for each answer
Write your answers in boxes 8-
8-13 on your answer sheet.

8. What name has Jessica Evert given to the category of centenarians who become 100
without suffering serious disease?
9. What factor is most likely to contribute to longevity in men?
10. Which place has the largest proportion of centenarians in the world?
11. According to gerontologists, what should people avoid neglecting if they wish to
reach old age?
12. What social influence on longevity decreases as people get older?
13. In which species, apart from humans, have longevity genes been reliably
identified?

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Reading Answer Key

1. NOT GIVEN
2. NOT GIVEN
3. TRUE
4. FALSE
5. FALSE
6. FALSE
7. NOT GIVEN
8. ESCAPERS
9. GENETICS
10. OKINAWA
11. EXERCISE
12. WEALTH
13. WORMS