Centenarians: Unraveling the Secrets of Exceptional Longevity
Centenarians are the world’s fastest-growing demographic group, doubling in number roughly every decade since the 1970s, although they used to be quite rare.
The Complex Interplay of Genetics and Lifestyle
Trying to understand the secrets of exceptional longevity is not easy, as it requires unraveling the complex interplay between genetic predisposition and lifestyle factors, and how they interact throughout a person’s life.
The Largest Study of Centenarians
A recent study published in the journal GeroScience revealed some common vital signs in people over ninety years of age.
To date, studies of centenarians have often been small in scale and focused on a select group. But a recent study, described as the largest of its kind, compared the vital sign profiles measured across the lifespan of people who have lived exceptionally long lives (those who have exceeded 100 years of age) and their peers who have still lived less.
The study included data from 44,000 Swedes who underwent medical examinations aged 64–99 years. These participants were followed using Swedish registration data for 35 years.
Of these participants, 1,224, or 2.7%, lived to be 100 years old. The vast majority (85%) of centenarians were women.
Twelve blood biomarkers related to inflammation, metabolism, liver and kidney function, as well as possible malnutrition and anemia were included in the study. All of these things have been linked to aging or mortality in previous studies.
Biomarkers Associated with Longevity
The biomarker associated with inflammation was uric acid, a waste product produced by the body when certain foods are digested.
The team also examined markers associated with metabolic status and function, including total cholesterol and glucose, as well as markers associated with liver function, such as alanine aminotransferase (Alate), aspartate aminotransferase (Asat), albumin, gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), and alkaline phosphatase (Alp) and lactate dehydrogenase (LD).
The team also examined creatinine, which is associated with kidney function, as well as iron and total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), which is associated with anemia. Finally, they also looked at albumin, a biomarker associated with nutrition.
Lower Levels of Certain Biomarkers
The scientists found that overall, those who reached their 100th birthday had lower levels of glucose, creatinine and uric acid starting at age 60.
Although mean values for most biomarkers did not differ significantly between centenarians and centenarians, very high or low values were rarely observed in centenarians.
For some biomarkers, both centenarians and centenarians had values outside the range considered normal in clinical guidelines. This may be because these recommendations were developed with a younger, healthier population in mind.
Biomarkers Associated with Reaching 100
When examining biomarkers associated with the likelihood of reaching 100 years of age, the researchers found that all but two of the 12 biomarkers (tools and albumin) showed an association with the likelihood of reaching 100 years of age. This was even after controlling for age, gender and disease burden.
People in the bottom five groups for total cholesterol and iron levels were less likely to live to age 100 than people with higher levels. Meanwhile, people with higher levels of glucose, creatinine, uric acid and liver function markers were also less likely to live longer.
The scientists also found that people in the group with the lowest uric acid levels had a 4% chance of reaching 100 years of age, while in the group with the highest uric acid levels only 1.5% lived to reach 100 years of age.
Even if the differences are quite small overall, they suggest a potential link between metabolic health, nutrition and exceptional longevity.
Source: ScienceAlert
