Metabolic syndrome and risk factors for cardiovascular disease: are nonagenarians protected?

This study assessed cardiovascular disease risk factors in three groups of human subjects aged 20–34 [young, 20 male (M)/33 female (F)], 60–74 (aged, 29M/29F), and > 90 years (nonagenarian, 47M/50F). Components of the metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and markers of inflammation and oxidative stress were assessed. Nonagenarians weighed less than the two other groups (P < 0.001); however, there was no difference in percent fat among the three groups. Aged individuals had the highest prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (P < 0.001) according to the Adult Treatment Panel III classification. Both fibrinogen and homocysteine concentrations were significantly higher in the nonagenarians compared to younger groups. However, there were no significant differences between groups in fasting insulin, high sensitive C-reactive protein, and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 concentrations. There were also no relationships between inflammation/ oxidative stress and the metabolic syndrome or cardiovascular disease although nonagenarians appear to be protected from oxidative damage to DNA. Louisiana Healthy Aging Study  Meghan Allen, Arturo M. Arce, Mark A. Batzer, Lauri O. Byerley, Pauline Callinan, Cathy M. Champagne, Katie E. Cherry, Yu-wen Chiu, James P. DeLany, Melissa J. deVeer, Devon A. Dobrosielski, Andrea Ermolao, Elizabeth T. Fontham, Paula J. Geiselman, Valentina Greco, Sibte Hadi, Tiffany Hall, Karri Hawley, Scott W. Herke, Hui-Chen Hsu, Sangkyu Kim, Beth Kimball, Christina King-Rowley, Kim Landry, Li Li, Hui-Yi Lin, Kay Lopez, John D. Mountz, Emily Olinde, Kim Pedersen, Henry Rothschild, Ryan A. Russell, Donald Scott, Jennie Silva, Nicole Standberry, Jessica Thomson, Crystal Traylor, Cruz Velasco-Gonzalez, Jerilyn A. Walker, Xui Yun Wang, Michael A. Welsch, Robert H. Wood, Pili Zhang. Support  This research was supported by the Louisiana Board of Regents through the Millennium Trust Health Excellence Fund [HEF(2001–06)-02], by the National Institute on Aging (P01AG022064), and by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (GM42056 and GM15431).