Individual Longevity Versus Population Longevity

Poulain, Michel

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-20762-5_4

Cited by 4 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The canonical age of 100 is considered the threshold of longevity, although people over 95 years are called long-lived individuals (LLIs). Supercentenarians are, instead, people who have reached the age of 110, while semi-supercentenarians are people between the ages of 105 and 109 [ 1 , 3 , 4 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Important Are Genes to Achieve Longevity?

Caruso

Ligotti

Accardi

et al. 2022

IJMS

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Several studies on the genetics of longevity have been reviewed in this paper. The results show that, despite efforts and new technologies, only two genes, APOE and FOXO3A, involved in the protection of cardiovascular diseases, have been shown to be associated with longevity in nearly all studies. This happens because the genetic determinants of longevity are dynamic and depend on the environmental history of a given population. In fact, population-specific genes are thought to play a greater role in the attainment of longevity than those shared between different populations. Hence, it is not surprising that GWAS replicated associations of common variants with longevity have been few, if any, as these studies pool together different populations. An alternative way might be the study of long-life families. This type of approach is proving to be an ideal resource for uncovering protective alleles and associated biological signatures for healthy aging phenotypes and exceptional longevity.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Important Are Genes to Achieve Longevity?

Caruso

Ligotti

Accardi

et al. 2022

IJMS

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“…Besides genetic factors, the anthropological and cultural features of this population, largely documented in the literature, are also remarkably homogeneous, resulting from a scarcity of contacts between the islanders and the rest of Europeans over the centuries [ 18 ]. Therefore, a satisfying explanation for the widespread longevity of this community—for which the term “population longevity” has been proposed [ 19 ]—probably requires the involvement of additional epigenetic, environmental or lifestyle factors and their mutual interactions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of the Dietary Patterns across Nutrition Transition in the Sardinian Longevity Blue Zone and Association with Health Indicators in the Oldest Old

et al. 2021

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Health and longevity in humans are influenced by numerous factors, including lifestyle and nutrition. However, the direct relationship between lifetime eating habits and functional capacity of the elderly is poorly understood. This study investigated the dietary changes across nutrition transition (NT) in the early 1960s, in a population located in the Sardinia island known for its longevity, dubbed as “Longevity Blue Zone” (LBZ), as well as the relationship between the dietary patterns and a panel of health indicators. A total of 150 oldest-old participants (89 women and 61 men, age range 90–101 years) living in the LBZ were recruited. Participants were interviewed using validated questionnaires to assess the consumption frequency of common food items, as well as the correlation with self-rated health, comorbidity, affective and cognitive level, physical mobility, disability and anthropometric parameters. Differences between subgroups were evaluated using the Mann-Whitney U test for independent samples or the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for paired samples. Correlation analysis was performed by calculating the Spearman correlation coefficient, separately in males and females. Compared to the pre-NT epoch, the consumption of meat, olive oil and fresh fruit slightly increased, while the consumption of lard, legumes and vegetables decreased. A significant association was found between increased olive oil intake across NT and self-rated health (ρ = 0.519), mobility (ρ = 0.502), improved vision (ρ = −0.227) and hearing (ρ = −0.314); increased chicken meat intake and performance in activities of daily living (basic activities of daily living: ρ = 0.351; instrumental activities of daily living: ρ = 0.333). Instead, vegetable consumption showed low correlation with health indicators. A mild increase in meat intake, mostly pastured poultry, is associated with better physical performance in the Sardinian LBZ elders, suggesting that a supply of protein may have been crucial to maintaining adequate functional capacity.

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“…They are mostly isolated areas, such as the island of Okinawa in Japan, the peninsula of Nicoya in Costa Rica, the island of Ikaria in Greece, and the Ogliastra subregion on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, all well known for hosting a large number of age-validated centenarians [ 3 ]. In these populations exceptional longevity appears as a widespread phenomenon, which explains the term “population longevity” proposed in contrast to that of “individual longevity” [ 4 ]. The analysis of LBZs has been claimed to facilitate the identification of longevity factors acting at the superindividual level (for a review, see [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In these populations exceptional longevity appears as a widespread phenomenon, which explains the term “population longevity” proposed in contrast to that of “individual longevity” [ 4 ]. The analysis of LBZs has been claimed to facilitate the identification of longevity factors acting at the superindividual level (for a review, see [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]). A number of hypotheses have been posed to explain the emergence of these long-lived populations, specifically targeted on genetic factors, environment, lifestyle, occupational activity, and social life [ 5 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary Habits, Anthropometric Features and Daily Performance in Two Independent Long-Lived Populations from Nicoya peninsula (Costa Rica) and Ogliastra (Sardinia)

et al. 2020

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(1) Background: Longevity Blue Zones (LBZs) are populations characterized by exceptional longevity. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to compare the food habits of two representative samples of the oldest old subjects from the population residing in the LBZs of Nicoya peninsula (Costa Rica) and in the mountainous part of Ogliastra (Sardinia, Italy). (2) Methods: Data were collected using validated tools, including a food frequency questionnaire, Basic Activities of Daily Living (BADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) scales for functional autonomy, body mass index, and waist and limbs circumferences. (3) Results: A total of 210 subjects, 60 (31 male) from Nicoya (age range 80–109 years), and 150 (61 male) from Ogliastra (age 90–101 years) were included in the study. In both populations, the highest frequencies of consumption were recorded for plant-derived foods (cereals 60–80% daily, legumes ≥ 80% daily in Nicoya, ≥ 60% 2–5 servings/week in Ogliastra), followed by those of animal origin (dairy products, meat) ≥60% and 80% daily, in Nicoya and Ogliastra, respectively. The frequency of milk consumption showed a positive correlation with BADL (ρ = 0.268 for Nicoya and ρ = 0.214 for Ogliastra) and IADL scores (ρ = 0.466 for Nicoya and ρ = 0.471 for Ogliastra), whereas legumes consumption correlated negatively with self-rated health (ρ = −0.264) and IADL (ρ = −0.332). (4) Conclusions: Our results indicate that the dominant dietary model among the elderly of Nicoya and Ogliastra is a plant-based diet complemented by a non-negligible consumption of animal products, mostly dairy products. Further prospective studies are needed to ascertain a possible cause–effect relationship between food habits and increased likelihood of reaching advanced age.

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Individual Longevity Versus Population Longevity

Cited by 4 publications

References 20 publications

How Important Are Genes to Achieve Longevity?

How Important Are Genes to Achieve Longevity?

Evolution of the Dietary Patterns across Nutrition Transition in the Sardinian Longevity Blue Zone and Association with Health Indicators in the Oldest Old

Dietary Habits, Anthropometric Features and Daily Performance in Two Independent Long-Lived Populations from Nicoya peninsula (Costa Rica) and Ogliastra (Sardinia)

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