Blood of Those Who Live Exceptionally Long Holds Key Biomarkers of Long Life, Study Reveals

The life span of humans and what affects longevity have been long-standing subjects of interest. A new study sheds light on some biomarkers that are present among those who were able to live exceptionally long.

A Longevity Study

The study serves as the largest one that compares profiles of biomarkers that were measured across the lives of those who lived exceptionally well. It also covers peers who lived shorter lives.

The biomarker profiles of those who lived past 100 and those who lived shorter lives were compared. The researchers examined the link between these profiles and the odds of reaching one's 100th birthday.

The study covered data of 44,000 Swedes who underwent health assessments at 64 to 99 years old. This sample is part of the Amoris cohort.

Researchers followed the participants through register data for 35 years. Among those people, 1,224 (2.7%) became centenarians. Most of these centenarians (85%) were female.

Biomarkers of Long Life

There were twelve blood-based biomarkers that were connected to metabolism, inflammation, kidney function, liver, and possible anemia and malnutrition. All of these were previously linked to mortality and aging in earlier studies.

Uric acid was the specific inflammation-related biomarket. Uric acid is a waste product that results from certain food digestion.

The researchers also examined biomarkers that were associated with metabolic function and status. These included cholesterol and glucose. They also examined liver-related markers, including aspartate aminotransferase (Asat) and alanine aminotransferase (Alat).

They also examined creatinine, which is related to kidney function, and iron and TIBC (total iron-binding capacity), which is connected to anemia. They also looked into albumin, which is a nutrition-related biomarker.

Overall, the researchers found that those who became centenarians had lower glucose, uric acid, and creatinine levels from their sixties and beyond. While the median values of most biomarkers did not significantly differ among those who reached and did not reach their 100th birthday, centenarians rarely showed extreme lows or highs.

For several biomarkers, both non-centenarians and centenarians had levels that went beyond what is clinically considered normal, though this is probably due to the guidelines being based on a healthier and younger population.

The researchers also discovered that all biomarkers except two, alat and album, revealed to be connected to turning 100 years old. This was the case even after age, disease, and sex were taken into account.

Compared to those who had higher levels, those in the lowest in five groups for total cholesterol and iron levels had a lower likelihood of reaching a century in age. Those with higher creatinine, glucose, uric acids, and liver function marker levels also had a lower chance of becoming centenarians.

Though these differences are generally quite small, they show that there could be a link between nutrition, metabolic health, and remarkable longevity.

However, the study does not offer any conclusions regarding which specific genes or lifestyle factors contribute to the values of these biomarkers. Nevertheless, it is reasonable to think that certain factors, such as alcohol consumption and nutrition, play pivotal roles. The biomarker differences also show that lifestyle and genes could contribute to longevity.

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