Loci associated with longevity are likely to harbor genes coding for key players of molecular pathways involved in a lifelong decreased mortality and decreased/compressed morbidity. However, identifying such loci is challenging. One of the most plausible reasons is the uncertainty in defining long-lived cases with the heritable longevity trait among long-living phenocopies. To avoid phenocopies, family selection scores have been constructed, but these have not yet been adopted as state of the art in longevity research. Here, we aim to identify individuals with the heritable longevity trait by using current insights and a novel family score based on these insights. We use a unique dataset connecting living study participants to their deceased ancestors covering 37,825 persons from 1,326 five-generational families, living between 1788 and 2019. Our main finding suggests that longevity is transmitted for at least two subsequent generations only when at least 20% of all relatives are long-lived. This proves the importance of family data to avoid phenocopies in genetic studies.

© 2020 The Authors. Aging Cell published by the Anatomical Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.