title: [Environmental factors of longevity].
abstract: A PROBABLE ROLE: The great increase in life expectancy over the past decades and too short a time lapse for any major genetic mutations to intervene, are arguments in favour of the intervention of environmental factors in longevity. A FAIRLY LONG LIST: Various environmental factors can be envisaged: prenatal environment, pollution, radiation and oncogenic agents, notably tobacco, food (quantitatively and qualitatively), medicinal products, stress, education and socio-professional life style, isolation, number of children and sexual activity, sports and exercising, etc. It is highly likely that all these factors, or at least some of them, have a real effect on longevity, although this is difficult to demonstrate directly. A COMBINED EFFECT: The basic idea of this paper is that these environmental factors should be seen as agents, the effects of which would be combined with those of genetic factors, considered as agents of radically different nature. We suggest that, in order to have any real effect, these environmental factors have to work on the same cell mechanisms as those that affect the genetic process, notably the mechanisms related to oxidative stress and genetic expression.
authors.affiliation: Fondation Ipsen 24, rue Erlanger 75781 Paris.
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Christen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002273:Carcinogens / Q000009:adverse effects; D004777:Environment; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects; D015444:Exercise; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008136:Longevity / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010298:Parity; D011832:Radiation Injuries; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D013177:Sports; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D018433:Twin Studies as Topic
chemical_list: D002273:Carcinogens; D004785:Environmental Pollutants
vernacular_title: Les facteurs environnementaux de la longévité.