(London Guardian) The discovery of a rare genetic mutation that prolongs human life has raised hopes for new treatments to combat aging and prevent age-related disorders from heart disease to dementia.
Researchers spotted the mutation in an Amish population in Indiana where carriers were found to have better metabolic health, far less diabetes, and tended to live a decade longer than others in the community.
Internal 'clock' makes some people age faster and die younger – regardless of lifestyle
Scientists studied 177 members of the Old Order Amish in the town of Berne and identified 43 people who had inherited one normal and one mutated version of a gene called Serpine1. Those with the mutated version of the gene typically lived to 85 years old, a full 10 years longer than those who did not carry the mutated form.