A Comparison of Anthropometry, Biochemical Variables and Plasma Amino Acids among Centenarians, Elderly and Young Subjects

Abstract

Objective: Aging health is associated with nutritional changes which are not well understood and were therefore evaluated in this study by comparing the nutritional status of centenarians and elderly (in their 70s) relative to young subjects.

Subjects: The participants were 27 young subjects (10 males, 17 females), 40 healthy elderly (20 males, 20 females) and 32 centenarians (9 males, 23 females).

Methods: The activities of daily living (ADL), height, weight, body mass index (BMI), biochemical variables (total protein, albumin, triglycerides as well as total, HDL, LDL and VLDL cholesterol) and plasma amino acid profiles were evaluated.

Results: Compared with young subjects, lower (p<0.05) height, weight, total protein, albumin and albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio and total cholesterol for centenarians and height, albumin and A/G ratio for elderly were observed in both genders. Total cholesterol of male centenarians was lower than in young and elderly subjects and total and LDL cholesterol concentrations of female elderly were higher than those of young and centenarian subjects. However, the cholesterol concentrations of all the centenarians were within the reference range. The ratios of essential amino acids to nonessential amino acids were significantly lower (p<0.05) in the centenarians than the young subjects. Clear changes in individual amino acids with aging were lower (p<0.05) branched chain amino acids and methionine and higher proline and cystine, which are similar to the amino acid profiles in liver deterioration.

Conclusion: The results suggest that the centenarians had poor nutritional status, which may be due to their decreased metabolism and the possibility that only short, slender individuals with low lipids, protein and essential amino acids are those that tend to survive to be centenarians.

• centenarians
• elderly
• young
• anthropometry
• biochemistry
• plasma amino acids

We are grateful to the staff of the Research Center of Comprehensive Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, for their various contributions to this research.