Largest study reveals secret to longevity

People reaching 100 years of age have lower levels of glucose, creatinine and uric acid since their sixties, according to the largest study of its kind. The study could lead to a simple blood test to predict a person’s chances of living to be 100 years old.

The research, published in the journal GeroScience, is the largest ever to measure and track the levels of various molecules in the blood of people born between 1893 and 1920.

Karolinska Institutet scientists, including others, analyzed data on blood molecules from 44,500 Swedes who underwent clinical testing between 1985 and 1996 and followed them up to 2020.

They focused specifically on people born between 1893 and 1920, who were between 64 and 99 years old when their blood samples were first tested, and when they were nearly 100 years old. On arrival, they were re-examined.

About 2.7 percent of the nearly 1200 people in the study lived to be 100 years old.

The researchers compared data from this subset with peers who were younger than them.

The analysis found 12 blood molecules associated with metabolism, inflammation, as well as liver and kidney function, which in previous studies have also been linked to aging or mortality.

These molecules included total cholesterol and glucose as indicators of metabolism, uric acid as an indicator of inflammation levels, enzymes as an indicator of liver health and creatinine as a measure of kidney health.

The researchers also looked at albumin and iron levels in the blood.

Except for liver enzymes and albumin, all other molecules were found to be associated with a person reaching 100 years of age.

People with elevated cholesterol and iron levels are more likely to reach 100, while those with low levels are less likely.

However, for molecules including glucose, creatinine, uric acid, and lower levels of liver enzymes, they were associated with a greater chance of living over 100 years.

“We found that overall, people who reached their 100th birthday had lower levels of glucose, creatinine and uric acid than they had in their sixties,” the researchers wrote in The Conversation.

“Very few of the 100-year-olds had a glucose level above 6.5 in earlier life, or a creatinine level above 125,” he said.

Although the study’s differences between groups were small in some cases, the results still indicate a ‘potential link’ between metabolism, nutrition and longevity, the researchers say.

However, the study did not identify lifestyle factors or genes responsible for these blood molecule levels.

“Although chance likely plays a role in reaching age 100, differences in biomarker values ​​more than a decade before death suggest genetic and/or lifestyle factors,” the scientists wrote in the study. Factors that appear in the levels of these biomarkers may also play a role in abnormal longevity.

‘However, it is reasonable to think that factors such as diet and alcohol consumption play a role. It’s probably not a bad idea to keep an eye on your kidneys and liver as well as glucose and uric acid as you age.’