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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #163309
Title: METABOLIC AGING AND PREDICTED LONGEVITY: RESULTS OF A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY IN POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN

Author
item HAYS, NICHOLAS - TUFTS-HNRCA
item BATHALON, GASTON - TUFTS-HNRCA
item MEYDANI, SIMIN - TUFTS-HNRCA
item LEKA, LYNETTE - TUFTS-HNRCA
item LIPMAN, RUTH - TUFTS-HNRCA
item ROUBENOFF, RONENN - TUFTS-HNRCA
item SCHAEFER, ERNST - TUFTS-HNRCA
item ROBERTS, SUSAN - TUFTS-HNRCA

Submitted to: Aging in Clinical and Experimental Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/23/2002
Publication Date: 12/1/2002
Citation: HAYS, N.P., BATHALON, G.P., MEYDANI, S.N., LEKA, L.S., LIPMAN, R., ROUBENOFF, R., SCHAEFER, E.J., ROBERTS, S.B. METABOLIC AGING AND PREDICTED LONGEVITY: RESULTS OF A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY IN POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN. AGING IN CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH. 2002;14:465-473.

Interpretive Summary: This study examined the association of age-related physiological and metabolic variables with predicted longevity in post-menopausal women. In a small study of 33 individuals we identified enhanced immune function among individuals with greater predicted longevity based on ancestral life span. Our results are consistent with the suggestion that genetic variations in immune function in old age play an important role in determining longevity, while energy expenditure, body temperature, lipid profile, and dietary intake appear to be unrelated to predicted longevity. This general experimental approach may be broadly applicable to examinations of metabolic aging in humans.

Technical Abstract: The extent to which general characteristics of metabolic aging contribute to differences in life span among individuals remains uncertain. The objective of this study was to examine the association of age-related physiological and metabolic variables with predicted longevity in post-menopausal women. Subjects were 33 healthy women aged 55-65 years. Total and resting energy expenditure, body temperature, immune function as assessed by a delayed-type hypersensitivity skin test, lipid profile, and reported dietary intake were measured. There were no significant associations between longevity, energy expenditure, body temperature, lipid profile, or dietary intake. However, there was a significant association of predicted longevity with DTH. These results suggest that immune function may predict familial differences in longevity, while energy expenditure, body temperature, lipid profile, and dietary intake are unrelated. Although the small sample size may have limited the ability to detect metabolic effects on longevity in this study, the general approach may be broadly applicable to examinations of metabolic aging in humans.