TY - JOUR
T1 - "Positive biology"
T2 - The centenarian lesson
AU - Caruso, Calogero
AU - Passarino, Giuseppe
AU - Puca, Annibale
AU - Scapagnini, Giovanni
PY - 2012/4/23
Y1 - 2012/4/23
N2 - The extraordinary increase of the elderly in developed countries underscore the importance ofstudies on ageing and longevity and the need for the prompt spread of knowledge aboutageing in order to satisfactorily decrease the medical, economic and social problemsassociated to advancing years, because of the increased number of individuals notautonomous and affected by invalidating pathologies.Centenarians are equipped to reach the extreme limits of human life span and, mostimportantly, to show relatively good health, being able to perform their routine daily life andto escape fatal age-related diseases. Thus, they are the best example of extreme longevity,representing selected people in which the appearance of major age-related diseases, such ascancer, and cardiovascular diseases among others, has been consistently delayed or escaped.To discuss the relevance of genetics and life style in the attainment of longevity, five papersmostly focused on Italian centenarians have been assembled in this series. The aim is torealize, through a" positive biology" approach (rather than making diseases the central focusof research, "positive biology" seeks to understand the causes of positive phenotypes, tryingto explain the biological mechanisms of health and well-being) how to prevent and/or reduceelderly frailty and disability.
AB - The extraordinary increase of the elderly in developed countries underscore the importance ofstudies on ageing and longevity and the need for the prompt spread of knowledge aboutageing in order to satisfactorily decrease the medical, economic and social problemsassociated to advancing years, because of the increased number of individuals notautonomous and affected by invalidating pathologies.Centenarians are equipped to reach the extreme limits of human life span and, mostimportantly, to show relatively good health, being able to perform their routine daily life andto escape fatal age-related diseases. Thus, they are the best example of extreme longevity,representing selected people in which the appearance of major age-related diseases, such ascancer, and cardiovascular diseases among others, has been consistently delayed or escaped.To discuss the relevance of genetics and life style in the attainment of longevity, five papersmostly focused on Italian centenarians have been assembled in this series. The aim is torealize, through a" positive biology" approach (rather than making diseases the central focusof research, "positive biology" seeks to understand the causes of positive phenotypes, tryingto explain the biological mechanisms of health and well-being) how to prevent and/or reduceelderly frailty and disability.
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U2 - 10.1186/1742-4933-9-5
DO - 10.1186/1742-4933-9-5
M3 - Article
C2 - 22524297
AN - SCOPUS:84862184903
SP - 5
JO - Immunity and Ageing
JF - Immunity and Ageing
SN - 1742-4933
ER -