Throughout history, great intellects have sought to uncover the secret to increased longevity. While much research has attributed long life to diet and exercise, a team of scientists has now proposed an alternative theory.
Researchers from Boston University and Tufts Medical Center discovered that centenarians—individuals who live to be 100 years old or older—may possess a distinct composition of immune cells that offer heightened protection against illnesses. This finding was published in the Lancet eBiomedicine journal on Friday.
According to Tanya Karagiannis, the study’s lead author and senior bioinformatician at the Center for Quantitative Methods and Data Science, and Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies at Tufts Medical Center, the data supports the idea that centenarians have specific protective factors that aid them in recovering from diseases and achieving exceptional longevity.
Ordinarily, people with healthy immune systems are exposed to infections, recover, and adapt to future infections. While the immune system’s capacity to respond to infections typically declines with age, the researchers hypothesized that this may not be the case for centenarians.
To investigate this theory, scientists analyzed immune cells in blood samples from seven centenarian participants in North America. They identified unique immune-related patterns of aging and longevity, which they then compared to publicly available data on immune cells from people across the human lifespan. They found that the immune profiles of centenarians did not align with the trends usually associated with natural aging.
Paola Sebastiani, the study’s senior author and director of the Center for Quantitative Methods and Data Science, and Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies at Tufts Medical Center, stated that the findings support the idea that centenarians possess protective factors that enhance their ability to recover from infections.
It remains unclear whether this remarkable immunological capacity is genetic, naturally occurring, or influenced by external factors, said Stefano Monti, another senior author and associate professor of medicine, biostatistics, and bioinformatics at Boston University’s School of Medicine. He emphasized that the answer to increased longevity is a multifaceted one, involving genetics, lifestyle, and luck.
The study’s authors hope that their findings will contribute to existing research that can help develop therapeutic interventions for the aging global population. George J. Murphy, a senior author and associate professor of medicine at Boston University’s School of Medicine, noted that centenarians and their exceptional longevity serve as a “blueprint” for living healthier, more productive lives.
