Brazil’s centenarians offer clues to healthy ageing
Brazil is emerging as a key resource for studying extreme longevity, thanks to its highly diverse population, which carries millions of genetic variants absent from standard datasets. Researchers at the University of São Paulo have studied more than 160 centenarians, including 20 supercentenarians (110 years or older), many of whom remained mentally sharp and resilient despite limited access to healthcare.
Families with multiple members living past 100 point to inherited biological resilience. Studies show these supercentenarians maintain efficient protein recycling, robust immune function and unusual cytotoxic T-cell profi les, enabling them to survive infections such as COVID-19. Brazil’s exceptionally long-lived population, including both men and women, provides rare insights into ageing as a process of resilience rather than inevitable decline. Published in Genomic Psychiatry, this research highlights how Brazil’s unique genetic diversity offers a window into mechanisms of healthy ageing which are missing from less diverse populations.
Source: Genomic Psychiatry
This article is featured in Wellbeing Magazine 222
