Having a (very) elderly parent will help you live a long life

THEY say long lives run in the family – now scientists have come up with figures to prove it.

A large British study found that having a parent who lived at least a decade beyond the age of 70 reduced the likelihood of dying prematurely by around a sixth.

Having long-lived parents was also associated with much lower rates of heart conditions and protection against some cancers.

Scientists analysed data on the health of 18 ,000 people aged 55 to 73 over a period of up to eight years. They found that people with long-lived parents were less likely to suffer from heart disease, stroke, heart failure and cancer.

For each decade a mother survived past the age of 9, the chances of her children dying from any cause fell by 1 per cent, while the reduction was 17 per cent in relation to fathers. The risk of dying from heart disease was around 20 per cent lower if a parent was long-lived, while the chances of being diagnosed with cancer were reduced by 8 per cent.

The lifespan of parents was an influencing factor even after scientists took into account lifestyle factors such as smoking, physical activity and obesity, according to the study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Lead scientist Dr Janice Atkins, from the University of Exeter Medical School, said: ‘Asking about parents’ longevity could help us predict our likelihood of ageing well and developing conditions such as heart disease, in order to identify patients at higher or lower risk in time to treat them appropriately.’

Previous research by the Exeter team found that offspring of longer-lived parents were more likely to have genes that protected them from coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and Alzheimer’s.