The smarter you are, the longer you live, says study

Houston: Beyond making smarter choices inlife, intelligent people also live longer because they havebiology working in their favour, according to a new study.The gene associated typically with living longer may alsobe instrumental in preventing cognitive degeneration, a studypublished in the Cell reported.[caption id="attachment_1539091" align="alignleft" width="380"] Representational Image. Courtesy - IBN[/caption]A gene known as the "klotho gene" which secretes certainhormones that have been known to interfere with the process ofaging, may also help to boost brain functionality in olderage, helping people live longer, according to the researchcarried out by Doctor Dena Dubal, professor and researcher atthe University of California San Francisco (UNSF).In fact, this deficiency was proven to not just deterdegeneration, but actively boost brain function, increasing aperson's IQ by as much as six points.Approximately 20 per cent of people, or one out of everyfive, has this klotho gene variation, which is created by aversion of the KL protein known as KL-VS.But Dubal says that the most exciting part of thisdiscovery is by having isolated the gene associated withimproving brain function in seniors, there may potentially bea way to treat degenerative brain disorders, most notablyAlzheimer's Disease."Aging is the principle risk factor for manyneurodegenerative conditions," Dubal said."The goal of our research is to investigate mechanisms oflongevity and determine whether 'anti-aging' strategies canprevent or block the development of neurodegenerative diseaseslike Alzheimer's," she said.So far, Dubal and her team were only able to perform thisexperiment on mice.But they believe that the same principals can be appliedto human, essentially jump-starting the human brain when itbegins to age, allowing humans to live longer, healthier andhappier.PTI