Largest study of centenarian blood reveals secrets to longevity

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Centenarians tend to have lower levels of glucose, creatinine and uric acid from their sixties onwards, according to the largest study of its kind that may lead to a simple blood test to predict a person’s chance of reaching 100. These molecules included total cholesterol and glucose as markers of metabolism, uric acid indicating inflammation levels, enzymes indicative of liver health and creatinine as a measure of kidney health. However, for molecules including glucose, creatinine, uric acid, and liver enzymes, lower levels were associated with higher chances of living past 100. “While chance likely plays a role for reaching age 100, the differences in biomarker values more than one decade prior death suggest that genetic and/or lifestyle factors, reflected in these biomarker levels may also play a role for exceptional longevity,” scientists wrote in the study.