A key to healthy ageing could be genetic protection against cognitive decline.

Eric Topol and Ali Torkamani of the Scripps Translational Science Institute in La Jolla, California, and their colleagues sequenced and analysed the genomes of more than 500 disease-free people over the age of 80. They found that these 'wellderly' individuals had a lower genetic risk of Alzheimer's disease and heart disease than a group of adults representing the general population, but about the same genetic risk of diabetes and cancer.

The authors suggest that wellderly people are genetically distinct from people who reach extreme old age by surviving significant health challenges. However, they add that the study was small and needs replication. Those in the wellderly group tended to be highly educated — a factor known to be linked to long lifespans, perhaps because of healthier lifestyles and diets.

Cell http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2016.03.022 (2016)