Centenarian Offspring as a Model of Successful Ageing

The interest in how to age “successfully” and, in particular, the research of determinant factors for growing older in active way and in good health have increased in the last decade [1]. The concept of “successful ageing” (SA) has been used by gerontologists since the 1980s. Although there is no universally accepted definition of SA, because it varies among individuals, the World Health Organization defines it as “the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables well-being in older age” [2]. Researchers have drawn up some criteria that describe SA [3]; these include three main related components: low probability to develop diseases and disease-related disabilities, high cognitive and physical functional capacity, and active engagement with life. So, SA can be considered more than the absence of disease or the maintenance of functional capacities because the combination of these components guarantees an active end of life that represents the essential concept of SA [4]. Scientists who study SA have been trying to determine which factors lead to a long, healthy life and design strategies that help to maintain health as we age. To do this, it is necessary to identify biological and molecular factors able to promote a healthy ageing by the deep study of a model.....(abstract is not foresee, so we have uploaded the first part of introduction).