Roxana

Easier said than done I guess, but surely this is only one factor of many.
I could quote you many examples of vast differences in age at death from the same parent.

Perhaps I phrased the title badly. What I had in mind was not so much the health issue as the psychological motif. That is, keeping an active brain rather than slimming (which of course is also important where relevant). In my case it has been information processing and learning Russian.

I am one of six. Apart from my eldest sister (two years younger than I) all are well. Said sister died about twenty years ago - not obviously age related circumstances. She was very unintelligent (back tp parental issues?). I am not arguing that stupid people die early. I am suggesting that any of us can prolong our lives by attitudes of serious interest toward varied studies. As opposed to lack of interest in life.

Has anyone anything to add regarding attitude as opposed to heredity?

Catastrophe