Real secret to looking young lies in your genes

Washington D.C: A new study has finally found the real secret to looking young and it's all down to your genes.

The researchers found a gene that helps explain why some of us looked younger or older than we actually are.

The gene in question, known as MC1R, is already well known for producing red hair and pale skin. Now, it appears that variation in this same gene is also related to differences in how old people look to other people, their perceived age. People carrying particular MC1R variants in their DNA look, on average, almost 2 years older than they are.

"For the first time, a gene has been found that explains in part why some people look older and others younger for their age," says Manfred Kayser of Erasmus MC University.

While the researchers note that this gene is just one of many factors that influence perceived age, they plan to continue exploring exactly how it influences our looks and identify other genes that influence perceived age. Ultimately, the researchers think that this line of work can offer important insights into our health and the nature of aging itself.

"We believe that using the perception of age is one of the best and most exciting ways to measure how 'well' people are aging, which we hope will lead to further breakthroughs in aging and health research in the near future," researcher David Gunn says.

The study is published Cell Press journal Current Biology.