Exploring Longevity: What contributes to a long life?

B. These trends raise social, ethical, and economic dilemmas. Are medical advancements artificially prolonging life, regardless of the quality of life? If an increasing number of elderly people become reliant on state or familial support, society faces soaring costs and commitments. However, researchers studying the oldest old have made a surprising discovery that offers a less bleak outlook on the future than many anticipate.

C. It is becoming evident that individuals who live beyond 90 years represent a physical elite. Instead of experiencing a prolonged burden of disability, their additional years tend to be healthy ones. Supercentenarians, individuals aged 110 or older, provide even stronger examples of successful aging. On average, supercentenarians maintain independent daily lives until around 105 years old — five to ten years longer than centenarians.

D. 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-third of the total. Each individual risked becoming more infirm, but the 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-third of those were still entirely self-sufficient.

E. Christensen’s optimistic findings are echoed in 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-quarter of them were living in accommodation specifically catering for the needs of older people. Research in China 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.

F. 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 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 after the age of 80. Another 40 per cent were ‘survivors’, who suffered from chronic 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-third of male centenarians were in this category, 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 are unclear. Certainly, women tend to lead healthier lifestyles and experience fewer 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.

G. 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. Ofcourse, 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 after the age of 60. Before then, those who are both identical and non­identical have largely independent chances of reaching a given age.

H. Longevity genes are also plentiful in other organisms, such as over 70 identified in specific worms. Unfortunately, the situation differs in humans. While numerous genes have been suggested to impact lifespan, only a handful have been consistently validated across multiple populations.

Remark:

1.  ’Centenarian”: someone who is 100 years or older.
2. ” Baby – boomer“: someone born just after the Second World War, a time which saw a rapid increase in birth rate.
3. “Nonagenarian”: someone who is between 90 and 99 years old.
4. “Gerontologist”: a medical professional who specialises in aging and the problems of aged Persons.

Queries 1-7

Are the statements below consistent with the information presented in the Reading Passage?

Record answers in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet

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.

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.

Queries 8-13

Respond to the queries below.

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer

Record your responses in boxes 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? 8…

9. What factor is most likely to contribute to longevity in men? 9…

10. Which place has the largest proportion of centenarians in the world?  10…

11. According to gerontologists, what should people avoid neglecting if they wish to reach old age?   11…

12. What social influence on longevity decreases as people get older? 12…

13. In which species, apart from humans, have longevity genes been reliably identified? 13…

Answers:

1. NOT GIVEN (Không có thông tin)

2. NOT GIVEN (Không có thông tin)

3. TRUE (Đoạn 3, “It is becoming clear that people who break through the 90-plus barrier represent a physical elite.”)

4. FALSE (Đoạn 3, “ 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.”)

5. FALSE (Đoạn 4, “In 2005, only 166 of the people in Christensen’s sample were still alive, but one-third of those were still entirely self-sufficient.”)

6. FALSE (Đoạn 5, “Christensen’s optimistic findings are echoed in studies all over the world.”)

7. NOT GIVEN (Không có thông tin)

8. escapers (Đoạn 6, “The final 20 per cent were ‘escapers‘, who reached their century with no sign of the most common chronic diseases.”)

9. genetics (Đoạn 6, “so it must be genetics which allows some men to reach extreme old age. Evidence of this comes from longevity hotspots.”)

10. Okinawa (Đoạn 7, “The Japanese island of Okinawa is the front runner.”)

11. Exercise (Đoạn 8, “Gerontologists have emphasised the importance of regular exercise, so anyone aiming to reach a century should not underestimate this.”)

12. Wealth (Đoạn 8, “They have also found that the influence on lifespan of social factors such as wealth fades as we age.”)