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BELFAST centenarians: a case of optimised cardiovascular risk?
E Bennati1, A Murphy, F Cambien
1Department of Geriatric Medicine, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queens University Belfast and Belfast City Hospital, UK.
Current Pharmaceutical Design
|April 15, 2010
Summary
Belfast centenarians exhibit favorable cardiovascular risk profiles, suggesting optimized health maintenance contributes to longevity. This study highlights potential sex differences in how vascular risk factors and genotypes are tolerated with advanced age.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology and cardiovascular health.
- Genetics of aging and disease resistance.
Background:
- Centenarians offer insights into successful aging and disease resilience.
- The Belfast centenarian cohort survived a period of high cardiovascular mortality.
- This study investigates biological and genetic factors in aging and cardiovascular risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the cardiovascular risk profile of Belfast centenarians.
- To explore genetic factors associated with longevity and cardiovascular health.
- To identify potential sex-based differences in risk factor tolerance.
Main Methods:
- Study included 35 community-living centenarians (27 female, 8 male) from the Belfast Elderly Longitudinal Free-living Ageing STudy (BELFAST).
- Measurements included Body Mass Index (BMI), blood pressure, fasting glucose, and lipid profiles.
- Genetic analysis focused on vascular risk genotypes: Apolipoprotein E (ApoE), Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE), and Methylenetetrafolatedehydrogenase reductase (MTFHR).
Main Results:
- Centenarians presented with a median BMI of 25.7, blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg, and fasting glucose of 5.54 mmol/l.
- Lipid profiles showed median cholesterol 5.3, HDL 1.10, and LDL 3.47 micromol/l.
- Male centenarians lacked common vascular risk genotypes, unlike females, suggesting differential genetic tolerance.
Conclusions:
- Belfast centenarians possess an optimized cardiovascular risk profile, beyond advanced age.
- Evidence suggests differential tolerance of vascular risk factors and genotypes between sexes.
- Optimizing cardiovascular health may enhance the likelihood of reaching centenarian status, particularly for males.
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