Cracking the Code: Blood Tests of Centenarians Unveil Secrets to Lifespan of 100+ Years

Attaining the milestone of a century, or even surpassing it, may be better understood when examining the metabolic profiles of those who've done it, according to recent research.

Last month, a research paper was published in GeroScience. It aimed to delve into what made those who live at least a century unique, by elucidating the functioning of their bodies before they reached such an advanced age.

Extraordinary longevity, defined as living beyond 85 years, is highly multifactorial, involving elements such as genetics and lifestyle. Nevertheless, the research team found that centenarians tended to have decreased levels of glucose, uric acid, and creatinine in their bloodstream compared with individuals who did not reach 100 years of age.

Interestingly, these differences in blood biomarkers were evident as early as the age of 65, a full 35 years before reaching the centenarian mark.

Shunsuke Murata, PhD, who headed the study and is a postdoctoral researcher at the Karolinska Institutet, remarked to Health that the results contradicted the idea of reaching 100 years old being purely a game of chance. It was also noteworthy that these variations in blood biomarkers could be detected so far in advance of their deaths.

Over 44,636 individuals took part in the study, which used data from the AMORIS (Apolipoprotein-related MOrtality RISk) cohort. Their routine and outpatient clinical laboratory testing had been carried out between 1985 and 1996 at the Central Automation Laboratory in Stockholm, Sweden.

Essentially, a total of 1,224 of these individuals went on to celebrate their 100th birthday, which is consistent with the general demographic statistics for centenarians in Stockholm. These individuals had their biomarker measurements followed up until the end of 2020.

The researchers took into account 12 biomarkers linked to inflammation, liver, kidney, and metabolic function, and potential indicators of anemia and malnutrition.

Centenarians were found to have lower, but not substantially lower, levels of glucose, uric acid, and creatinine, compared to those who did not live to be centenarians.

In fact, the study noted that centenarians had relatively consistent biomarker profiles—they rarely exhibited values at the low or high end of healthy ranges overall.

Murata notes that this study is the first to scrutinize which biomarkers are correlated with longevity in such a large group, although much more investigation is required to comprehend all of the elements for longevity.

We need to account for combinations of these biomarkers and discern to what extent they are indicative of lifestyle or genetic factors, Murata added.

Others in the field believe this research heightens our growing comprehension of what contributes to our lifespan. We're constantly learning, and comparing these metabolic profiles might provide all of us with insights on how to increase our lives' length.

Rekha B. Kumar, MD, MS, an unrelated endocrinologist from Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian, suggests that lower levels of uric acid, creatinine, and glucose in the bloodstream point towards a healthier lifestyle overall.

Interestingly, she still believes that nutrition and lifestyle play a crucial role in longevity. She also notes that the biomarkers identified in this study are flexible, not fixed by genetics.

Meanwhile, having lower levels of creatinine, a byproduct of your body digesting protein and breaking down muscle tissue, could imply enhanced renal function, according to Luke D. Kim, MD, MEd, AGSF, a Geriatrician at Center for Geriatric Medicine, Cleveland Clinic. Correspondingly, low blood sugar levels could signify healthier metabolic profiles in centenarians.

The decreased uric acid value, which can be impacted by numerous factors such as diet and alcohol consumption, also suggests a healthier lifestyle. Murata confirms that diet and other lifestyle factors, including alcohol consumption, could be integral to exceptional longevity.

Lower levels of these three biomarkers in centenarians suggest healthy behaviors—like living an active lifestyle, and reducing meat, sugar, and alcohol intake—may result in longevity, said Kumar.

This study, like others before it, offers more information on what might contribute to longevity, but it doesn’t offer a definitive explanation for why someone might live to 100 and someone else might pass away decades before that point.

Instead, it reaffirms that “while chance likely plays a role in reaching an exceptional age, it is not the sole determinant,” said Murata.

“Although our study doesn’t provide a definitive roadmap for a longer life, it does emphasize the importance of maintaining healthy lifestyle choices and potentially modifying specific factors like alcohol consumption to improve one’s chances of living a longer, healthier life,” added Murata.

For those who want to know what they can do to contribute to greater longevity, Kim said that you have to stay up to date with preventive measures like needed health screenings to identify common diseases like hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and hyperlipidemia, among others.

“I would encourage people to always keep moving,” added Kumar. “It does not need to be extreme structured exercise but just activity of any sort to keep blood flowing, muscles active, glucose metabolism strong, and ligaments and joints flexible. All of this improves metabolic health but also reduces risk of injury.”

“There are many fancy studies out there, such as efforts to lower insulin release from the body,” added Kim. “But again, for the general public, it is important to keep important health measures, such as blood pressure and general checkup to identify other common illnesses.”