A Study of Metabolic Health in Very Old Individuals Residing in Central Arkansas

Abstract

Background: Metabolic syndrome is an important predictor of morbidity and mortality, the prevalence of which increases with age. Our report is part of the South-Central Study on Aging and defines the pattern of metabolic derangements observed in nonagenarians and centenarians living in Arkansas. Methods: A retrospective study was undertaken of subject’s ≥ 95 years of age who had been patients at Reynold's Institute of Aging at University of Arkansas during the period of January 1, 2011 until June 13, 2013. Results: Mean age of our patients was 97.5 ± 2.9 years (range=95-112 yrs). Among parameters of metabolic syndrome, our patients had mean systolic blood pressures of 141.1 ± 24 mmHg and diastolic pressure of 72.5 ± 12 mmHg (n=109), with stage 1 or 2 hypertension present in 52/109 (47.7%). Most patients had normal triglycerides (TG) levels, mean=120.6 ± 79.8mg/dL (range=36-526 mg/dL) and only 12/53 (22.6%) patients had high TG>150 mg/dL. Mean high-density (HDL) cholesterol (n=52) was 54.0 ± 16 mg/dL (range=24-117 mg/dL). Mean low-density (LDL) levels (n=53) were 122.4 ± 39 mg/dL. More than half (29/53) had LDL levels<130 mg/dL and 24/53 (45.3%) had LDL of ≥130 mg/dL. Mean glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C; n=25) was 6.55 ± 1.1% (range=5.30-10.6%). Mean vitamin-D level (n=41) was 31.8 ± 12 ng/ml (range=8-59 ng/ml), and low vitamin-D levels (10-20 ng/ml) were noted in 4/41 (9.7%) with severe deficiency (<10 ng/ml) in 3/41 (7.3%) patients. Similarly, abnormal thyroid stimulating hormone levels (TSH; n=57) were seen in only 4/57 (7.0%) patients. Conclusions: The majority of nonagenarian and centenarians in Arkansas were found to have a generally good metabolic profile, which could be a plausible explanation for the longevity of this aging cohort. However, various genetic, nutritional and epigenetic factors might have also contributed to the metabolic health of these individuals and will require further investigation.