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Why do people with long-lived parents often live longer?

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primates — aging Primates are among the longest-lived groups of mammals.

People with long-lived parents often live longer because longevity is determined in part by heredity. Scientific studies, including analyses of genealogical records, family histories, and life insurance data, consistently indicate that children of long-lived parents are more likely to have longer life spans than those whose parents died at younger ages.1

This correlation supports the genetic theory of aging, which suggests that an organism's life span is influenced by its genetic makeup. For example, variations in specific genes, such as TERC, can affect the length of telomeres—repeated DNA segments at the ends of chromosomes—which play a critical role in cellular division and biological aging.2

While environmental and socioeconomic factors also influence human life span, the evidence for genetic transmission of susceptibility to major age-related conditions, such as heart disease and cancer, remains strong.2