Children of parents, who live long, not only lead long lives themselves, but also are significantly less prone to cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and stroke, a study has revealed.
People having one long-lived parent, with mother past 91 years or father past 87 years, are at least 24 per cent less likely to develop cancer. The incidence of heart diseases, diabetes and stroke also reported significant drop among the offspring of exceptionally long living parents.
The international collaborative study undertaken by the University of Exeter Medical School, UK, in association with National Institute for Health and Medical Research, France, University of Michigan and University of Iowa, USA, had Ambarish Dutta, faculty member of the Asian Institute of Public Health (AIPH), Bhubaneswar, among the lead researchers.
The study, which analysed the data of about 9,764 participants in the Health and Retirement Study of USA, over a period of 18 years from 1992 to 2010, categorised long living mothers as more than 91 years, with intermediate-lived between 77 and 91 and short-lived from 61 to 76. Fathers were classified as long-lived beyond 87 years, intermediate-lived from 65-87 and short-lived from 46-64 years of age.
They were assessed on the both demographic comprising age, sex and race, socio-economic and lifestyle variables that included habits like smoking, alcohol consumption, income, wealth and exercise.
It was found that overall mortality rates dipped by around 19 per cent by each decade of mother’s survival beyond 65 years and 14 per cent for father’s longevity beyond the same age. For mothers who lived past 85 years, the mortality rate among their offspring reduced by a whopping 40 per cent.
“The results provide robust evidence that increase in parental age is associated with lower cancer incidence in offspring. That the children had overall higher survival rate with better cardiovascular health, lower risks to diabetes and stroke. They continued to experience the same health advantages as they aged”, Dutta said.
Interestingly, the study did not find any health benefits passed on to the spouses of the offspring of long-lived parents-in-law, despite being likely to share similar environment or lifestyle factors.
“The study will pave the way for more elaborate research into the nature (genetic factors) versus nurture (environmental and lifestyle factors like pollution, smoking, habits and diet) aspects that contribute to slower aging and lower predisposition to diseases”, Dutta said.
“The results could be applicable to the Indian population too.”, he added.
