Andrew Steele

And what we've discovered is that people who have worse oral health actually have a higher risk of heart disease. There's maybe even a link with dementia because the bacteria that cause gum disease have been found in the brains of people who've got dementia.

And what we've discovered is that people who have worse oral health actually have a higher risk of heart disease. There's maybe even a link with dementia because the bacteria that cause gum disease have been found in the brains of people who've got dementia.

And what we've discovered is that people who have worse oral health actually have a higher risk of heart disease. There's maybe even a link with dementia because the bacteria that cause gum disease have been found in the brains of people who've got dementia.

So again, it just seems like the whole body is this incredibly interconnected thing and keeping one part of it healthy can have huge effects on the whole aging process of every single part of it.

So again, it just seems like the whole body is this incredibly interconnected thing and keeping one part of it healthy can have huge effects on the whole aging process of every single part of it.

So again, it just seems like the whole body is this incredibly interconnected thing and keeping one part of it healthy can have huge effects on the whole aging process of every single part of it.

And actually, the genetic contribution to longevity is surprisingly small for people who live a normal length of time. So if your parents lived to 70 or 80, you really shouldn't see that as a ceiling on your own lifespan. We think that genetics only contributes maybe somewhere between 5 and 20% of how long you can go on to live.

And actually, the genetic contribution to longevity is surprisingly small for people who live a normal length of time. So if your parents lived to 70 or 80, you really shouldn't see that as a ceiling on your own lifespan. We think that genetics only contributes maybe somewhere between 5 and 20% of how long you can go on to live.

And actually, the genetic contribution to longevity is surprisingly small for people who live a normal length of time. So if your parents lived to 70 or 80, you really shouldn't see that as a ceiling on your own lifespan. We think that genetics only contributes maybe somewhere between 5 and 20% of how long you can go on to live.

But the one exception to this is the people who do live in exceptionally long time. So people who make it into their hundreds, centenarians. There seems to be a huge genetic component to this. In fact, if your parents are centenarians, or if you have a centenarian parent, or if you have a sibling who makes it into their hundreds, you've got a 10 times greater chance of doing so yourself.

But the one exception to this is the people who do live in exceptionally long time. So people who make it into their hundreds, centenarians. There seems to be a huge genetic component to this. In fact, if your parents are centenarians, or if you have a centenarian parent, or if you have a sibling who makes it into their hundreds, you've got a 10 times greater chance of doing so yourself.

But the one exception to this is the people who do live in exceptionally long time. So people who make it into their hundreds, centenarians. There seems to be a huge genetic component to this. In fact, if your parents are centenarians, or if you have a centenarian parent, or if you have a sibling who makes it into their hundreds, you've got a 10 times greater chance of doing so yourself.

And it really seems that the way in which these centenarians make it to these advanced ages is they've just got protection from age-related disease. They really do just age slower than the rest of us. So if you look at studies of centenarians, they don't tend to be much healthier than the general population. They're still a little bit overweight. They often smoke.

And it really seems that the way in which these centenarians make it to these advanced ages is they've just got protection from age-related disease. They really do just age slower than the rest of us. So if you look at studies of centenarians, they don't tend to be much healthier than the general population. They're still a little bit overweight. They often smoke.

And it really seems that the way in which these centenarians make it to these advanced ages is they've just got protection from age-related disease. They really do just age slower than the rest of us. So if you look at studies of centenarians, they don't tend to be much healthier than the general population. They're still a little bit overweight. They often smoke.

They often drink just as much as regular people do. But the fact is that they've got the genetics that keeps them...

They often drink just as much as regular people do. But the fact is that they've got the genetics that keeps them...

They often drink just as much as regular people do. But the fact is that they've got the genetics that keeps them...

It's a really fascinating subject. And so the record for longevity is 122 years held by a French woman called Jeanne Calment. And she set that record in 1997, I think, which is really quite incredible. I think the fact is that people who make it to these exceptionally old ages, they're just so rare that it's very, very hard for that record to be pushed back and back.

It's a really fascinating subject. And so the record for longevity is 122 years held by a French woman called Jeanne Calment. And she set that record in 1997, I think, which is really quite incredible. I think the fact is that people who make it to these exceptionally old ages, they're just so rare that it's very, very hard for that record to be pushed back and back.