Researchers, in a pioneering study published in the journal ‘GeroScience’, have revealed common traits among people who lived to the age of 100, such as levels of cholesterol, glucose, and uric acid. The study, which is the largest of its kind, analyzed health data of over 44,000 Swedes aged between 64 and 99 years, who were followed for up to 35 years as part of the ‘AMORIS’ cohort, according to the website ‘Science Alert’. Among the participants, 1,224 people reached the age of 100 (2.7% of the sample), and the vast majority of them (85%) were women.
The study focused on 12 blood biomarkers related to inflammation, liver and kidney function, and potential indicators of anemia or malnutrition, which have been previously linked to aging or death. Although the average values for most markers did not differ significantly between centenarians and others, centenarians rarely recorded excessively high or low values. For instance, very few had glucose levels exceeding 6.5 mmol/L or creatinine levels above 125 micromol/L early in their lives.
The researchers noted that these centenarians may hold keys to understanding healthy aging, although previous studies were limited in scope and often excluded groups such as centenarians in care homes. This study highlights the complex interaction between various factors, opening new avenues for research into extending lifespan.
