VU University Medical Center Scientists Sequenced DNA of Oldest Woman in Hopes to Unlock Long Life Secrets

Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper became the world’s oldest person in May of 2004 at the age of 115 but dies only a few months later. But contrary to what you would expect Andel-Schipper was as sharp as a whip right up until her death. Not only did she suffer no signs of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, she did not experience any other typical signs of aging one would expect to find in a person over 100, such as hardening of the arteries. She had been tested for mental sharpness back when she was 112 and 113 and, despite minor vision problems, she performed better than most 60 to 75-year-old individuals.

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