WHETHER someone can expect to live longer or shorter than average can be predicted by examining their DNA, scientists have claimed.

A team of Scottish researchers sought to pinpoint regions known to influence risk of different diseases in an individual’s genetic makeup.

They produced a scoring system to analyze the combined effect of genetic variations that influence life span.

People who scored in the top 10 percent of the population can expect to live up to five years longer than those who score in the lowest 10 percent, they found.

Each of the participants was also asked how long both of their parents had lived and what they died of.

This let them narrow in on specific regions that affect life span — including heart disease and smoking-related conditions.

Experts from the University of Edinburgh’s Usher Institute looked at genetic data from more than 500,000 people, as well as records of their parents’ life span.

They claimed they pinpointed 12 areas of the human genome as having a significant impact on life span, including five sites that have not been reported before.

DNA sites with the greatest impact on overall life span were those that have previously been linked to fatal illnesses.

Dr. Peter Joshi, an AXA Fellow at the institute, said, “If we take 100 people at birth, or later, and use our life span score to divide them into 10 groups, the top group will live five years longer than the bottom, on average.”

The study’s aim was to gain a better understanding of ageing and potentially offer the opportunity to prolong healthy living into old age. (SD-Agencies)