The world’s healthiest genes may have been found in a small community in Ecuador, it was revealed last night.
A group of just 100 people seem to be immune from diabetes or cancer, researchers said.
Although Ecuadorian, the super-gene individuals are in fact descended from Jews who converted to Christianity under the Spanish inquisition, according to a report in Science Translational Medicine.
And although super-gened, they also suffer from stunted growth as a result of a mutation in the growth hormone gene.
The new research says these mutations are "remarkably" similar to changes that make baker’s yeast and other simple organisms long lived and resistant to toxins.
One of the reasons is that the cells simply self-destruct when placed under stress – and thus avoid damage to DNA which can cause cancer.
Led by Jaime Guevara-Aguirre, of the University of Southern Californian, Los Angeles, the researchers analysed 23 years of information about the remarkable Ecuadorians.
They report there is no evidence the super-genes lead to anyone living longer than other people in Ecuador.
But they add that the findings might show ways of leading "longer, healthier human lives."
Growth Hormone Receptor Deficiency Is Associated with a Major Reduction in Pro-Aging Signaling, Cancer, and Diabetes in Humans. Science Translational Medicine February 16 2011
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