April 5, 2023 – New research shows that folks who live to 100 years or older have rare differences on the cellular level that allow their immune systems to operate higher and longer than those of individuals with a median life expectancy.
Thanks to those rare cells, centenarians are capable of delay diseases that usually occur in old age and thus reach what researchers call “extreme old age.”
When people undergo an infection and their bodies recuperate, the immune system adapts. This ability to recuperate, learn and adapt declines as we age. The latest research shows that the centenarians within the study had unique cell types that contributed to a resilient immune system that didn't decline with age like other people's.
“The immune profiles we observed in centenarians confirm a long history of infection exposure and the ability to recover from it. They support the hypothesis that centenarians are enriched with protective factors that increase their ability to recover from infections,” said creator and biostatistician Dr. Paola Sebastiani in a opinion.
The studyconducted by researchers at Boston University and Tufts Medical Center, was published last week in The LancetThe analyses included 14 individuals who were no less than 100 years old and compared them with 52 younger people between the ages of 20 and 89.
“Centenarians and their extraordinary longevity provide a blueprint for how we can live more productive and healthier lives,” said researcher George J. Murphy, PhD, associate professor of medication at Boston University's Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. “We hope to continue to learn all we can about resilience to disease and extending health span.”
Some of the centenarians included within the study also took part within the New England Study of Centenariansan ongoing project at Boston University. The key findings of this ongoing research are that longevity tends to run in families, that folks who live to 100 or older are likely to delay disability until their 90s, and that genetics plays a significant role.
This latest research adds to researchers' understanding that longevity is a mix of things, said researcher Stefano Monti, PhD, associate professor of computational biomedicine at Boston University USA today.
“The answer to the question of what makes us live longer is very complex,” he said. “There are several factors, for example genetics – what we inherit from our parents, lifestyle and luck.”