title: Leukocyte telomere length and prevalence of age-related diseases in semisupercentenarians, centenarians and centenarians' offspring.
abstract: Centenarians and their offspring are increasingly considered a useful model to study and characterize the mechanisms underlying healthy aging and longevity. The aim of this project is to compare the prevalence of age-related diseases and telomere length (TL), a marker of biological age and mortality, across five groups of subjects: semisupercentenarians (SSCENT) (105-109years old), centenarians (CENT) (100-104years old), centenarians' offspring (CO), age- and gender-matched offspring of parents who both died at an age in line with life expectancy (CT) and age- and gender-matched offspring of both non-long-lived parents (NLO). Information was collected on lifestyle, past and current diseases, medical history and medication use. SSCENT displayed a lower prevalence of acute myocardial infarction (p=0.027), angina (p=0.016) and depression (p=0.021) relative to CENT. CO appeared to be healthier compared to CT who, in turn, displayed a lower prevalence of both arrhythmia (p=0.034) and hypertension (p=0.046) than NLO, characterized by the lowest parental longevity. Interestingly, CO and SSCENT exhibited the longest (p<0.001) and the shortest (p<0.001) telomeres respectively while CENT showed no difference in TL compared to the younger CT and NLO. Our results strengthen the hypothesis that the longevity of parents may influence the health status of their offspring. Moreover, our data also suggest that both CENT and their offspring may be characterized by a better TL maintenance which, in turn, may contribute to their longevity and healthy aging. The observation that SSCENT showed considerable shorter telomeres compared to CENT may suggest a progressive impairment of TL maintenance mechanisms over the transition from centenarian to semisupercentenarian age.
authors: Geriatric Unit, Department of Medical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via Pace 9, 20122 Milan, Italy. Electronic address: enzo.tedone@unimi.it.
authors: Enzo
authors: E
authors: Tedone
authors: Geriatric Unit, Department of Medical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via Pace 9, 20122 Milan, Italy; Geriatric Unit, Fondazione CaGranda, IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via Pace 9, 20122 Milan, Italy.
authors: Beatrice
authors: B
authors: Arosio
authors: Geriatric Unit, Department of Medical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via Pace 9, 20122 Milan, Italy.
authors: Cristina
authors: C
authors: Gussago
authors: Geriatric Unit, Fondazione CaGranda, IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via Pace 9, 20122 Milan, Italy.
authors: Martina
authors: M
authors: Casati
authors: Geriatric Unit, Department of Medical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via Pace 9, 20122 Milan, Italy.
authors: Evelyn
authors: E
authors: Ferri
authors: Geriatric Unit, Department of Medical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via Pace 9, 20122 Milan, Italy.
authors: Giulia
authors: G
authors: Ogliari
authors: Geriatric Unit, Department of Medical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via Pace 9, 20122 Milan, Italy.
authors: Francesco
authors: F
authors: Ronchetti
authors: Geriatric Unit, Department of Medical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via Pace 9, 20122 Milan, Italy.
authors: Alessandra
authors: A
authors: Porta
authors: Geriatric Unit, Department of Medical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via Pace 9, 20122 Milan, Italy.
authors: Francesca
authors: F
authors: Massariello
authors: Geriatric Unit, Fondazione CaGranda, IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via Pace 9, 20122 Milan, Italy.
authors: Paola
authors: P
authors: Nicolini
authors: Geriatric Unit, Department of Medical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via Pace 9, 20122 Milan, Italy; Geriatric Unit, Fondazione CaGranda, IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via Pace 9, 20122 Milan, Italy.
authors: Daniela
authors: D
authors: Mari
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D003863:Depression / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005819:Genetic Markers; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008017:Life Expectancy; D008136:Longevity / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D010375:Pedigree; D015995:Prevalence; D016615:Telomere / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D059505:Telomere Homeostasis; D059506:Telomere Shortening
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers
keywords: Centenarians; Longevity; Peripheral leukocyte telomere length