--- description: A new study suggests people live longer if their parents survive past age 70, lending support for a genetic basis to how long people live title: People Live Longer If Their Parents Live Past 70 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Research](/tag/research/) ## Research Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # People Live Longer If Their Parents Live Past 70: Study by [Alexandra Sifferlin](/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 15, 2016 6:51 PM CUT by [Alexandra Sifferlin](/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 15, 2016 6:51 PM CUT People with parents who live long lives may also have [an increase in longevity](http://time.com/4138476/aging-alzheimers-disease/ "undefined"), a new study suggests. The research, published in the _Journal of the American College of Cardiology,_ found that people with at least one parent who lived past age 70 had a 16% increase in [longevity](http://time.com/magazine/us/4217023/february-22nd-2016-vol-187-no-6-u-s/ "undefined"). The data looked at 186,000 people in middle age and followed them for up to eight years. Among the people in the study, those with parents who lived longer had fewer events related to heart disease like heart failure, high blood pressure, stroke and high cholesterol. The risk of death from heart disease was also significantly lower, and people with parents who lived beyond 70 also had a lower risk for cancer. This could mean that people may inherit something from their parents that keeps them living longer, the researchers say. Scientists are studying a [variety of factors](http://time.com/4269672/exercise-brain-aging/ "undefined"), from genetics to [mindset](http://time.com/3706720/how-your-mindset-can-change-how-you-age/ "undefined"), that determine how long a person lives. The latest study, while not definitive, adds support for some type of genetic effect. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4452486/longer-life-aging-parents/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4452486/longer-life-aging-parents/"},"headline":"People Live Longer If Their Parents Live Past 70: Study","datePublished":"2016-08-15T18:51:45.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T23:59:23.606Z","description":"A new study finds that people with long-lived parents have a lower risk for cancer and heart disease","url":"https://time.com/4452486/longer-life-aging-parents/","keywords":["Research","Genetics","Parents","Longevity"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/research/","name":"Research"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4452486/longer-life-aging-parents/","name":"People Live Longer If Their Parents Live Past 70: Study"}}]}] ```