Longevity clues: Brazilians are living past 110 and scientists are keen to unlock the mystery

Scientists now believe that Brazil has one of the overlooked and underexplored populations when it comes to longevity. As per the viewpoint shared by researchers Dr. Mayana Zatz and colleagues at the Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center at the University of São Paulo, they are keen to study "rare long-lived individuals with a remarkable capacity to delay or evade many age-related diseases, such as cardiovascular conditions, cancer, and dementia."

"Supercentenarians provide a rare human model of exceptional longevity, marked by unique immune, genetic, and metabolic profiles that support resilience against age-related decline. Brazil's highly admixed population offers unparalleled opportunities to uncover protective mechanisms often missed in more homogeneous cohorts," the scientists have said.

Are supercentenarians biologically different?

While a lot needs to be done to find a single answer to this, what several studies have found gives a basic understanding of how those living past 100 are different from the rest.

A genetic studyof individuals living past 105, identified variants in STK17A and COA1 linked to efficient DNA repair and lower somatic mutations, replicated in 333 centenarians.

A Swedish cohort studyin 1,224 future centenarians found lower glucose, creatinine, uric acid, and liver enzymes from age 65, with homogeneous profiles indicating genetic/ lifestyle advantages. Another study, in Okinawa supercentenarians demonstrated delayed major diseases (CVD, cancer, diabetes) and disabilities past age 100.

Apart from this, studies have also identified that increase in differentiated effector memory T cells, including γδ and CD8⁺ subsets; elevated natural killer cells makes these individuals functionally resilient. Unique immune features like expansion of cytotoxic CD4⁺ T cells is an indication that "supercentenarians deploy unconventional yet effective immunological strategies to maintain surveillance and control over infections and potentially malignant cells late in life,” the researchers describe them.

Brazil in the global map of longevity

According to International organizations such as LongeviQuest and the Gerontology Research Group (GRG), Brazil is prominent in the global longevity landscape, particularly among men. Three of the 10 longest-lived male supercentenarians in the world are Brazilian, this includes the oldest living man, according to Guinness World Records. “The oldest man living is João Marinho Neto (Brazil, b. 5 October 1912), who is 112 years 52 days as verified by LongeviQuest in Apuiarés, Ceará, Brazil, on 26 November 2024. João Marinho Neto's age was validated by LongeviQuest with the cooperation of his family,” the report says.

Not just males, the number of Brazilian female supercentenarians is among the 15 longest-lived women worldwide, according to LongeviQuest, surpassing that of more populous and developed countries, such as the United States.

Is longevity heritable?

There are valuable insights on whether longevity is inherited or not. A 109-year-old woman has nieces aged 100, 104, and 106 years, representing one of Brazil's longest-lived families ever documented. "These cases can illuminate key biomarkers or protective pathways associated with exceptional longevity, in line with prior evidence that siblings of centenarians are 5 to 17 times more likely to reach centenarian status themselves, thus reinforcing the heritable component of human longevity," the researchers have said.