Centenarians appear to age differently at the molecular level, maintaining unexpectedly “younger” biological signatures in key systems.
Only about 0.02% of people in Switzerland reach the age of 100. What sets these centenarians apart? Could their bodies hold clues to resisting the usual toll of aging? To investigate, scientists from the University of Geneva and the University of Lausanne analyzed blood samples from people across three age groups. What they found challenges the idea that aging is a steady, unavoidable decline.
The researchers, working within the “SWISS100” project, analyzed blood samples from centenarians, octogenarians, and adults aged 30 to 60. They identified 37 proteins in centenarians that closely resemble those found in younger individuals, especially those linked to low oxidative stress.
Some of these proteins are involved in maintaining the extracellular matrix (the “cement” of our body), while others may help protect against tumor development or regulate fat and sugar metabolism. The findings, published in Aging Cell, are part of a broader effort led by Daniela Jopp at UNIL, combining sociology, psychology, medicine, and biology to better understand longevity. The biological research, directed by Karl-Heinz Krause, focuses on the molecular traits that distinguish centenarians.
The study included 39 centenarians (aged 100–105, of whom 85% were women), 59 octogenarians, and 40 younger adults (aged 30–60). “The octogenarians allow a more fine-grained analysis of how certain blood markers evolve over a lifetime, and help to distinguish normal aging from the exceptional aging of centenarians,” explains the researcher.
Researchers measured 724 proteins in blood serum, including 358 linked to inflammation and 366 tied to cardiovascular health. “Of these 724 proteins, 37 produced a truly remarkable result,” says Flavien Delhaes. “In our centenarians, the profiles of these 37 proteins are closer to those of the youngest group than to those of octogenarians. This represents approximately 5% of the proteins measured, suggesting that centenarians do not entirely escape aging, but that certain key mechanisms are significantly slowed down.”
Ready of the article at;
https://scitechdaily.com/why-some-people-reach-100-new-study-reveals-key-biological-differences/