title: Epidemiological, genetic and epigenetic aspects of the research on healthy ageing and longevity.
abstract: Healthy ageing and longevity in humans result from a number of factors, including genetic background, favorable environmental and social factors and chance.In this article we aimed to overview the research on the biological basis of human healthy ageing and longevity, discussing the role of epidemiological, genetic and epigenetic factors in the variation of quality of ageing and lifespan, including the most promising candidate genes investigated so far. Moreover, we reported the methodologies applied for their identification, discussing advantages and disadvantages of the different approaches and possible solutions that can be taken to overcome them. Finally, we illustrated the recent approaches to define healthy ageing and underlined the role that the emerging field of epigenetics is gaining in the search for the determinants of healthy ageing and longevity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, University of Calabria, Ponte Pietro Bucci cubo 4 C, 87036 Rende, CS, Italy.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Montesanto
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, University of Calabria, Ponte Pietro Bucci cubo 4 C, 87036 Rende, CS, Italy.
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dato
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, University of Calabria, Ponte Pietro Bucci cubo 4 C, 87036 Rende, CS, Italy.
authors.forename: Dina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bellizzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, University of Calabria, Ponte Pietro Bucci cubo 4 C, 87036 Rende, CS, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, University of Calabria, Ponte Pietro Bucci cubo 4 C, 87036 Rende, CS, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Passarino