What Makes ‘SuperAgers’ Stay Healthy For So Long?

Scientists are looking to recruit 10,000 people over age 95 to study how their genes may contribute to longer, healthier lives.

A common worry among older adults is how their brains and bodies might decline as they age.

A small but fortunate group will live past their 95th birthdays, while staying cognitively sharp and free of major health complications. They’re called “SuperAgers.”

Researchers are working to figure out some of the genetic factors behind SuperAgers’ longevity—and how that knowledge might help the rest of the population live longer and healthier lives.

Ira talks with Dr. Sofiya Milman, director of Human Longevity Studies at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the lead researcher of the SuperAgers Family Study; and one of the study’s participants, Sally Froelich, a 95-year-old New York resident.

Transcript for this segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com.

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