Centenarians credit genes, 'clean living'

By Thurston Hatcher
CNN

(CNN) -- Lillian Kolisch frequently got sick when she was young, including two bouts of diphtheria and a case of scarlet fever. But that was years ago.

"Now I'm the healthiest one," said Kolisch, who turned 100 on March 20. "I can't figure that out."

Researchers hope they can. The Los Angeles, California, resident and her 92-year-old brother were among 137 sets of siblings who participated in a study aimed at pinpointing the link between genetics and longevity.

In the process, they identified a region of a chromosome that they believe contains the genes responsible for a long life.

Kolisch, a former saleswoman born in Russia, suggests her well-being may have as much to do with healthy lifestyle as with heredity.

"Clean living," she explains. "I never smoked. I never drank hard liquor. Only wine on the holiday."

Wilbert Teevans, a fellow centenarian from Grove City, Pennsylvania, is similarly at a loss to explain his long life.

"I wouldn't have the faintest idea," he said Monday. "My mother was 91, my dad was 92 when they died. I guess it was in the genes somewhere."

But then, he was pretty careful, too, saying he never "abused" himself when he was growing up.

"Running around, living high and doing a lot of drinking and things like that, I never did much of that," he said. "I wasn't a teetotaler -- now don't misunderstand me -- but neither did I abuse it."

Staying active

Both Kolisch and Teevans -- who has a 103-year-old sister -- say they feel pretty good these days.

"I'm usually pretty active. I can't walk too far at a time right now -- my knees don't see to want to gel, you know -- but no complaints," says Teevans, who retired at 66 after working at a steel mill.

Kolisch, who grew up in Chicago, Illinois, loves to shop and go out for lunch. She, too, is a big proponent of exercise.

"You get a little weak when you get older, so I try to walk a lot. You've got do a lot of walking. That will help," she says.

Teevans, who like Kolisch feels fortunate to have lived for so long, says he welcomed the chance to participate in the study.

"I'm happy," he said. "Maybe it will help someone else."