Causal analysis identifies small HDL particles and physical activity as key determinants of longevity of older adults [Scholarly Article - The Lancet (eBioMedicine), September 2022]

Title:

Causal analysis identifies small HDL particles and physical activity as key determinants of longevity of older adults

 

Authors:

Virginia Byers Kraus, Sisi Ma, Roshan Tourani ,Gerda G. Fillenbaum, Bruce M. Burchett, Daniel C. Parker, William E. Kraus, Margery A. Connelly, James D. Otvos, Harvey Jay Cohen, Melissa C. Orenduff ,Carl F. Pieper, Xin Zhang & Constantin F. Aliferis

 

Publication:

The Lancet (eBioMedicine), 28 September 2022

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/ebiom/article/PIIS2352-3964(22)00474-1/fulltext

 

Summary 

Background 

The hard endpoint of death is one of the most significant outcomes in both clinical practice and research settings. Our goal was to discover direct causes of longevity from medically accessible data. 

 

Methods 

Using a framework that combines local causal discovery algorithms with discovery of maximally predictive and compact feature sets (the “Markov boundaries” of the response) and equivalence classes, we examined 186 variables and their relationships with survival over 27 years in 1507 participants, aged ≥71 years, of the longitudinal, community-based D-EPESE study. 

 

Findings 

As few as 8-15 variables predicted longevity at 2-, 5- and 10-years with predictive performance (area under receiver operator characteristic curve) of 0·76 (95% CIs 0·69, 0·83), 0·76 (0·72, 0·81) and 0·66 (0·61, 0·71), respectively. Numbers of small high-density lipoprotein particles, younger age, and fewer pack years of cigarette smoking were the strongest determinants of longevity at 2-, 5- and 10-years, respectively. Physical function was a prominent predictor of longevity at all time horizons. Age and cognitive function contributed to predictions at 5 and 10 years. Age was not among the local 2-year prediction variables (although significant in univariable analysis), thus establishing that age is not a direct cause of 2-year longevity in the context of measured factors in our data that determine longevity. 

 

Interpretation 

The discoveries in this study proceed from causal data science analyses of deep clinical and molecular phenotyping data in a community-based cohort of older adults with known lifespan. 

 

Secrets of aging revealed in largest study on longevity, aging in reptiles and amphibians [ScienceDaily, June 2022]

Title:

Secrets of aging revealed in largest study on longevity, aging in reptiles and amphibians

 

Source:

Penn State

 

Published:

ScienceDaily, 23 June 2022

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/06/220623140536.htm

 

Summary:

An international team of 114 scientists reports the most comprehensive study of aging and longevity to date of reptiles and amphibians worldwide. Among their many findings, they document for the first time that turtles, crocodilians and salamanders have particularly low aging rates and extended lifespans for their sizes. The team also finds that protective phenotypes, such as the hard shells of most turtle species, contribute to slower aging, and in some cases even 'negligible aging' -- or lack of biological aging.

Harvard University, USA - Harvard Scientists Pinpoint ‘Ground Zero’ of Aging in Mouse Embryo Study [SingularityHub, June 2021]

Title:

Harvard Scientists Pinpoint ‘Ground Zero’ of Aging in Mouse Embryo Study

 

Author:

Edd Gent

 

Published:

SingularityHub, 28 June 2021

https://singularityhub.com/2021/06/28/harvard-scientists-pinpoint-ground-zero-of-aging-in-mouse-embryo-study/

 

From the article:

Now a team from Harvard has shown that the age of mouse embryo cells resets about a week into development, representing the “ground zero” of aging. The finding not only provides insight into the fundamental dynamics of aging, but also suggests we might mimic the process in adult cells to rejuvenate aging tissues.

 

IOWA State University - Drinking red wine and eating cheese could reduce cognitive decline: study

Title:

Drinking red wine and eating cheese could reduce cognitive decline: study

 

Author:

Jeanette Settembre

 

Published:

Fox News, 16 December 2020

https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/red-wine-cheese-reduce-cognitive-decline

From the article: 

An indulgent food and wine pairing savored during quarantine may have some mentally stimulating benefits after all.

See also:

1) New Study Suggests Diet Modifications – Including More Wine and Cheese – May Help Reduce Cognitive Decline

Published: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 15 December 2020

https://www.j-alz.com/content/new-study-suggests-diet-modifications-%E2%80%93-including-more-wine-and-cheese-%E2%80%93-may-help-reduce

2)  Genetic Factors of Alzheimer’s Disease Modulate How Diet is Associated with Long-Term Cognitive Trajectories: A UK Biobank Study

Authors: Brandon S. Klinedinst [et al.]

Published: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, Volume 78, Number 3, pp. 1245-1257 (2020)

https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad201058%20

Scholarly Article (The New England Journal of Medicine, 24 April 2020) - Presymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infections and Transmission in a Skilled Nursing Facility

Title:
Presymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infections and Transmission in a Skilled Nursing Facility

Authors:
Melissa M. Arons, R.N., Kelly M. Hatfield, M.S.P.H., Sujan C. Reddy, M.D., Anne Kimball, M.D., Allison James, Ph.D., Jesica R. Jacobs, Ph.D., Joanne Taylor, Ph.D., Kevin Spicer, M.D., Ana C. Bardossy, M.D., Lisa P. Oakley, Ph.D., Sukarma Tanwar, M.Med., Jonathan W. Dyal, M.D., et al., for the Public Health–Seattle and King County and CDC COVID-19 Investigation Team

Published:
The New England Journal of Medicine, 24 April 2020
Available: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2008457?query=recirc_curatedRelated_article

From the abstract:
"Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can spread rapidly within skilled nursing facilities. After identification of a case of Covid-19 in a skilled nursing facility, we assessed transmission and evaluated the adequacy of symptom-based screening to identify infections in residents."

MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, UK - Sugar leads to early death, but not due to obesity

Title:
Sugar leads to early death, but not due to obesity

By:
MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, UK

Published:
Medical Xpress, 19 March 2020

From the article:
"Sugar-rich diets have a negative impact on health independent of obesity reports a new study led by the MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, UK."

To read this article:
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-sugar-early-death-due-obesity.html

For more information, see scholarly article:
Van Dam, E. [et al.]. (19 March 2020). Sugar-Induced Obesity and Insulin Resistance Are Uncoupled from Shortened Survival in Drosophila. Cell Metabolism. DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2020.02.016

Short Article - Keep exercising: New study finds it's good for your brain's gray matter

Title:
Keep exercising: New study finds it's good for your brain's gray matter

Author:
Mayo Clinic

Published:
Medical Xpress, 3 January 2020

From the article:
"A study in Mayo Clinic Proceedings from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases provides new evidence of an association between cardiorespiratory fitness and brain health, particularly in gray matter and total brain volume - regions of the brain involved with cognitive decline and aging."

To read this article:
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-01-good-brain-gray.html