The secret to longevity lies in centenarians: Spanish researchers will analyze aging profiles

In Spain, there are almost 16,000 people who have reached the age of one hundred or more, according to the National Institute of Statistics ( INE ). Reaching this age is not yet common, although it is an increasingly attainable goal thanks to improved lifestyles and advances in medicine: in 2011, there were around 10,000 centenarians; far from the 33,000 estimated there will be in 20230 and the almost 100,000 estimated for 2050. This is, in fact, the group of people that is growing year after year at a proportionally much faster rate than any other; a phenomenon that even has its own name, the 'Gero Boom'. Hence, the Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians has set out to investigate these profiles to find out what the keys to healthy aging are.

The idea is not new: it arose from the RENACE project (National Registry of Centenarians of Spain), launched in 2011 together with the Carlos III Hospital in Madrid and the Complutense University to conduct epidemiological and biological research on extreme longevity and its determinants in more than 70 centenarians who participated at that time. The SEMG will now reactivate this initiative, which was relaunched with the recruitment of researchers for its 31st National Congress, held on June 11, 12, 13, and 14 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

The idea, according to the SEMG, is to revive this project and expand the information available in search of biomarkers associated with active aging. "Centenarians today are not exactly the same as those of two decades ago," stated President Pilar Rodríguez Ledo at the press conference announcing the reactivation of this initiative, which she will lead alongside doctors Cristina Santomé and Lorenzo.

The objective is none other than to expand knowledge about the factors that contribute to a longer lifespan and to define strategies to improve the quality of life of older people. This research will be conducted jointly by clinicians, epidemiologists, and scientists. "In short, a multidisciplinary research network that combines clinical experience with scientific rigor, with the goal of transforming knowledge into concrete improvements for the health and well-being of older adults," Rodríguez Leto emphasized.

In the pilot phase, in which 73 people (mostly women) participated, their overall health was, on average, good, despite the complexity and fragility of their ages. Osteoarthritis (68%) and high blood pressure (46%) were the most common chronic diseases among the centenarians in the study; the most commonly used drugs were proton pump inhibitors (48%) and paracetamol (45%). Three out of ten had been hospitalized in the previous year, and 63% had undergone surgery at least once in their lives.

Recruit 10% of Spain's centenarians

For this new phase, which they hope to launch next September, they will seek to obtain other types of information beyond epidemiological, social, sociodemographic, and clinical conditions. "We want to understand the biological factors, the biomarkers that accompany this extreme longevity, to learn from them and incorporate them into our knowledge," explained the president of SEMG. She explained that the goal is to recruit 10% of the country's centenarians to analyze the life factors that have led to reaching this age.

"The SEMG is clearly committed to this project. It's very interesting and could be very paradigmatic for society," added Armenteros, who also called for "collaborating" researchers who would like to participate in this initiative.

Also speaking at the press conference was Juan, one of the project's upcoming participants. At 98, he says he feels great . He gets up every day at seven in the morning to have breakfast and go to the day center, and in the afternoons he takes a daily one-hour walk. Despite having lost the vision in one eye, his son boasts stable cholesterol and blood sugar levels for his age. His secret, he says, has been to lead a "quiet life," "eat healthy," and "be free and live life as it comes."