Yahoo – AFP,
September 5, 2016
Rome (AFP) - Scientists on Monday revealed part of the secret to why a small village in southern Italy has an unusual number of centenarians -- low levels of a particular hormone that affects circulation.
Italian Antonio Vassallo, 100 years-old, and his wife Amina Fedollo, 93, pose in their house in Acciaroli, southern Italy, on August 23, 2016 (AFP Photo/ Mario Laporta) |
Rome (AFP) - Scientists on Monday revealed part of the secret to why a small village in southern Italy has an unusual number of centenarians -- low levels of a particular hormone that affects circulation.
Italian and
US experts have spent the last six months investigating the extraordinary
longevity of residents of Acciaroli, where more than one in 10 -- 81 at the
mayor's last count -- of the village's population of 700 is over 100 years old.
Acciaroli
is part of the Cilento coast, an area of outstanding natural beauty where the
late US nutritionist Ancel Keys first established convincing evidence of the
health benefits of a Mediterranean diet based on olive oil and rich in fresh
fruit, vegetables and fish.
As well as
reaching extremely old age, people in Acciaroli and tiny communities nearby
also seem to be largely immune to dementia, heart disease and other chronic
conditions associated with ageing in most of the Western world.
Researchers
from Rome's Sapienza University and the San Diego School of Medicine said
Monday that the explanation could lie in low levels of adrenomedullin, a
hormone that acts to widen blood vessels.
Adrenomedullin
is present "in a much reduced quantity in the subjects studied and seems
to act as a powerful protecting factor, helping the optimal development of
microcirculation", or capillary circulation, they said in a statement.
Capillary
blood vessels tend to degenerate in older people, but the seniors in Cilento
had capillaries of the sort found in much younger people, even those in their
20s.
The study
also found "metabolites present (in the bodies of those studied) which may
have a positive influence on longevity and the well-being of Cliento's
centenarians", the statement said, without giving further details.
The
researchers have decided to extend the study and expand their research,
including by launching a fundraising campaign.
Aside from
blood tests, the researchers also carried out cardiac and neurological tests,
Alan S. Maisel, the San Diego cardiologist heading up the project, told AFP.
The
scientists are looking into whether genetics could combine with lifestyle
factors -- diet and physical activity -- to extend the villagers' longevity.
The Cilento
locals all eat rosemary -- known to improve brain function -- almost every day,
and also all practise some physical activity daily, such as fishing, walking or
gardening, another line of enquiry for the scientists.
Before
Monday's release of results, Maisel also pointed to what may be another
important ingredient in the recipe for a long and happy life.
"Sexual
activity among the elderly appears to be rampant," Maisel said.
"Maybe living long has something to do with that, it's probably the good
air and the joie de vivre."
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