It's no secret that good genes¹ can explain why some people age well. But researchers said last Thursday they have identified a specific gene variant² that can make people look about two years older than their actual age.

众所周知，有些人看起来比较年轻的原因是拥有优良的基因。但研究人员在上周四表示，他们鉴定出一种特殊的基因变异，能使人们看起来比实际年龄要老两岁。

Scientists already know that the gene in question, known as MC1R, is responsible for producing red hair and pale skin, according to the report in the journal Current Biology. But now they have identified a variation in this gene that seems to age people faster.

据《当代生物学》期刊报道，科学家们已经认识到这种被称为MC1R的基因会导致头发发红、皮肤苍白。但是现在，他们在这种基因里发现了能使人们老得更快的变异。

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

荷兰鹿特丹市伊拉斯谟大学医学中心的研究员曼弗雷德·凯瑟尔说：“我们第一次发现，基因可以在一定程度上解释为什么有些人显老，而有些人显年轻，”

Previous research has shown that a person's genes and environmental factors contribute equally to how old a person looks. Perceived age is also important because it can be linked to a person's actual health and their risk of dying prematurely³, other research has suggested.

此前的研究表明，一个人看起来的年龄是由基因和环境因素共同导致的。其他研究已经表明，外表年龄也是非常重要的，它能够反映一个人的实际健康状况和过早死亡的风险。

For the current study, scientists examined the genomes of more than 2,600 elderly Dutch Europeans "for DNA⁴ variants⁵ associated with differences in perceived facial age and wrinkling as estimated from digital facial images," the report said. "The strongest hits for perceived facial age were for DNA variants in the MC1R gene."

在当前的研究中，科学家们对2600多个荷兰老人的基因组进行了检测。报告指出，科学家们发现，人们实际的面部年龄以及数字面部图像中起皱情况的不同，都与DNA变异有关。“实际面部年龄最显老的是拥有MC1R基因变体的那些人。”

Researchers said they were able to confirm their finding in two other large European studies. The influence of the MC1R gene variant was not swayed by age, sex, skin color, or sun damage.

研究人员表示，他们的发现也得到了另外两项更大型欧洲研究所的证实。MC1R基因变异的影响不会随着年龄、性别、皮肤颜色和晒伤而有所改变。