Longevidad
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Item The Nicoya region of Costa Rica : a high longevity island for elderly males(Vienna Yearbook of Population Research, Vol 11, 2013) Rosero Bixby, Luis; Dow, William H.; Rehkopf, David H.Reliable data show that the Nicoyan region of Costa Rica is a hot spot of high longevity. A survival follow-up of 16,300 elderly Costa Ricans estimated a Nicoya death rate ratio (DRR) for males 1990–2011 of 0.80 (0.69–0.93 CI). For a 60-yearold Nicoyan male, the probability of becoming centenarian is seven times that of a Japanese male, and his life expectancy is 2.2 years greater. This Nicoya advantage does not occur in females, is independent of socio-economic conditions, disappears in out-migrants and comes from lower cardiovascular (CV) mortality (DRR = 0.65). Nicoyans have lower levels of biomarkers of CV risk; they are also leaner, taller and suffer fewer disabilities. Two markers of ageing and stress—telomere length and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate—are also more favourable. The Nicoya diet is prosaic and abundant in traditional foods like rice, beans and animal protein, with low glycemic index and high fibre content.Item Differential DNA methylation and lymphocyte proportions in a Costa Rican high longevity region(Epigenetics & Chromatin,vol.10(21), 2017) McEwen, Lisa M.; Morin, Alexander M.; Edgar, Rachel D.; MacIsaac, Julia L.; Jones, Meaghan J.; Dow, William H.; Rosero Bixby, Luis; Kobor, Michael S.; Rehkopf, David H.Background: The Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica has one of the highest old-age life expectancies in the world, but the underlying biological mechanisms of this longevity are not well understood. As DNA methylation is hypothesized to be a component of biological aging, we focused on this malleable epigenetic mark to determine its association with current residence in Nicoya versus elsewhere in Costa Rica. Examining a population’s unique DNA methylation pattern allows us to differentiate hallmarks of longevity from individual stochastic variation. These differences may be characteristic of a combination of social, biological, and environmental contexts. Methods: In a cross-sectional subsample of the Costa Rican Longevity and Healthy Aging Study, we compared whole blood DNA methylation profiles of residents from Nicoya (n = 48) and non-Nicoya (other Costa Rican regions, n = 47) using the Infinium HumanMethylation450 microarray. Results: We observed a number of differences that may be markers of delayed aging, such as bioinformatically derived differential CD8+ T cell proportions. Additionally, both site- and region-specific analyses revealed DNA methylation patterns unique to Nicoyans. We also observed lower overall variability in DNA methylation in the Nicoyan population, another hallmark of younger biological age. Conclusions: Nicoyans represent an interesting group of individuals who may possess unique immune cell proportions as well as distinct differences in their epigenome, at the level of DNA methylationItem Costa Rican Longevity and Healthy Aging Study(Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging. Springer Cham, 2019) Rosero Bixby, Luis; Dow, William H.; Brenes Camacho, GilbertThe Costa Rican Longevity and Healthy Aging Study (CRELES, or Costa Rica Estudio de Longevidad y Envejecimiento Saludable) is a set of nationally representative longitudinal surveys of health and life-course experiences of older Costa Ricans, conducted by the University of Costa Rica’s Centro Centroamericano de Población in collaboration with the University of California at Berkeley. CRELES is part of the growing set of Health and Retirement Surveys being conducted around the world (See “Health and Retirement Study”). Costa Rica is of particular interest to study given its high longevity: life expectancy is greater than that of the United States, despite being a middle-income country. CRELES comprises five waves of data from two birth cohort panels (See “Cross-Sectional Research/Panel Studies (Longitudinal Studies)”). The original CRELES Pre-1945 cohort is a sample of more than 2,800 Costa Rica residents born in 1945 or before. There are three waves of interviews for this panel conducted mainly in 2005, 2007, and 2009. Wellcome Trust funded this panel (Grant N. 072406). The CRELES 1945–1955 Retirement Cohort (RC) is a sample of about 2800 Costa Rica residents born in 1945–1955 plus 1400 of their spouses, interviewed mainly in 2011 and 2013 (waves 4 and 5). The US National Institute on Aging (grant R01AG031716) funded this panel through the University of California, Berkeley. CRELES data are well-suited for studying longevity and health determinants, relationships between socioeconomic status and health, stress and health, patterns of health behaviors, and prospective mortality.