Mine is probably 95:
Scientists have isolated a gene sequence that appears to determine how fast our bodies age, the first time a link between DNA and human lifespan has been found.
The discovery could have a profound impact on public health and raises the best hope yet for drugs that prevent the biological wear and tear behind common age-related conditions such as heart disease and certain cancers.
The work is expected to pave the way for screening programmes to spot people who are likely to age fast and be more susceptible to heart problems and other conditions early in life. People who test positive for the gene variant in their 20s could be put on cholesterol-lowering statin drugs and encouraged to exercise, eat healthily and avoid smoking.
The breakthrough is unlikely to lead to drugs that dramatically extend lifespan, but doctors say it may help prolong the lives of patients whose genes make them susceptible to dying young.
"This may help us identify patients who are at a greater risk of developing common age-related diseases so we can focus more attention on them," said Professor Nilesh Samani, a cardiologist at the University of Leicester, who led the research.
The research highlights the difference between chronological age and biological age, the latter of which is determined by our genetic makeup and lifestyle factors, such as diet and smoking. Two people of the same age can have biological ages that differ by more than 10 years.
The study, published in the journal Nature Genetics, was prompted by the huge variability in the age at which people develop medical problems that are often considered diseases of the elderly.
"I see patients in their 80s with high blood pressure who have healthy coronary arteries and I see people in their 40s who don't seem to have any risk factors yet have advanced heart disease," Samani said. "We think this kind of variability must have something to do with premature ageing."
Click here to read the whole article, which has a lot more details on the research findings.
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