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Researchers aim to unlock secrets of healthy aging in small Italian village
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Researchers from the University of California, San Diego, and the University of Rome La Sapienza are launching a new study to uncover the secrets of healthy aging, according to a press release.
Alan Maisel, MD, professor of medicine in the division of cardiovascular medicine at University of California, San Diego, and Salvatore Di Somma, MD, professor of emergency medicine at University of Rome La Sapienza, and their teams will be studying a group of 300 residents, all aged at least 100 years, in a small Italian village to better understand how people can live longer, healthier lives.
“We are the first group of researchers to be given permission to study this population in Acciaroli, Italy,” Maisel said in the release.
Residents in this village, according to Maisel, have very low rates of heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease, which may be due in part to eating a lot of the herb rosemary in their primarily Mediterranean diet and to their active lifestyles. Because the village is located between the ocean and the mountains, long walks and hikes are a part of their daily activity.
The researchers will conduct full genetic analysis and test for metabolomics, biomes, cognitive dysfunction and biomarkers for heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, kidney disease and cancer. They also will evaluate lifestyle behaviors such as diet and exercise. Maisel, Di Somma and their colleagues will begin collecting blood samples and distributing questionnaires during the next 6 months.
“This project will not only help to unlock some of the secrets of healthy aging, but will build closer ties with researchers across the globe, which will lead to more science and improved clinical care in our aging population,” Di Somma said in the release.
Disclosure: The study is partially funded by European grants.