Decreased epigenetic age of PBMCs from Italian semi-supercentenarians and their offspring.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional case-control study comparing epigenetic age across family groups
PubMed 26678252 · doi:10.18632/aging.100861
What was done
The authors analyzed DNA methylation levels using the epigenetic clock in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from Italian families. The study evaluated 82 semi-supercentenarians (mean age: 105.6 ± 1.6 years), 63 offspring of semi-supercentenarians (mean age: 71.8 ± 7.8 years), and 47 age-matched controls without long-lived parents (mean age: 69.8 ± 7.2 years). Estimated blood cell subtype counts were also compared across groups.
What was found
Offspring of semi-supercentenarians had a significantly lower epigenetic age than age-matched controls (age difference = 5.1 years, p = 0.00043). Semi-supercentenarians were epigenetically 8.6 years younger than expected based on chronological age. Estimated blood cell counts (including naïve or exhausted cytotoxic T cells and helper T cells) showed no significant differences between groups.
Why it matters
This paper provides evidence that extreme longevity and healthy aging are associated with preserved epigenetic profile youthfulness that is transmissible or shared between semi-supercentenarians and their offspring.
Limits
The study is observational and cross-sectional, precluding causal inference. It is limited to PBMCs in a single Italian cohort of modest sample size (total n = 192), and it did not examine other tissues or account for unmeasured lifestyle and environmental factors.
Cited by
- supports Offspring of centenarians exhibit slower epigenetic aging in blood compared to age-matched controls whose parents did not live to age 100.
- supports Semi-supercentenarians aged around 105 years have an epigenetic age that is approximately 8.6 years younger than their chronological age.
- supports The blood epigenetic age of centenarians and supercentenarians is measured to be substantially younger than their chronological age, potentially up to 15 years younger.