Research reveals secrets to longer, healthier life - news coverage

Greetings,

Just came across this news coverage of our recent  study by The Republic and  Scripps Howard News Service:

"Medical: Research reveals secrets to longer, healthier life"
The Republic - Scripps Howard News Service - July 11, 2012
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/medical-longlife/medical-longlife
and
http://www.scrippsnews.com/content/medical-research-reveals-secrets-longer-healthier-life

Here are some excerpts:

"At the University of Chicago, husband-and-wife researchers Leonid Gavrilov and Natalia Gavrilova looked at records for nearly 1,600 Americans born between 1880 and 1895 who achieved age 100, as well as more than 10,000 shorter-lived siblings and more than 1,000 spouses.

They found that those born in the fall, September through November, had 40 percent higher odds of reaching the century mark than did those born in March. The researchers wrote online in the Journal of Aging Research in November that three factors were probably most important for babies born before 1900: mild temperatures in the first months of life; a seasonal lull in cycles of infectious diseases; and better maternal nutrition being available during the harvest season.

All three factors helped avoid a buildup of damage to the infants' systems early in life, the researchers argue, and support the theory that "early life programming" helps determine the course of aging and longevity."