People who reach 100 years old often have a mix of good genes and healthy habits. Scientists think genes explain about half of this extreme age, while diet, movement, and strong friendships add the rest.
A recent research project from Boston University looked at the blood of very old people. The team discovered a unique pattern of chemicals called metabolites that appears only in those who live past 100.
What the Study Did
The researchers examined blood from 213 volunteers in the New England Centenarian Study. The group included 70 centenarians, their adult children, and people of similar age who are not long‑lived.
Using a broad test that measures almost 1,500 tiny molecules, they compared the levels of each molecule across the three groups. They also checked which molecules change as people get older.
To make sure the findings were solid, the scientists compared their results with four other metabolomics studies that looked at long‑lived and normal‑aged people.
They built a “metabolomic clock” with machine learning. This clock estimates a person’s biological age from the blood chemicals and shows whether being biologically younger or older affects survival.
Key Blood Signals
Centenarians had higher amounts of certain primary and secondary bile acids. They also kept steady levels of several steroid compounds. These patterns were different from those seen in ordinary aging and were linked to a lower risk of death.
The scientists say these blood markers could become tools to:
- Estimate biological age more accurately.
- Identify people who may face faster age‑related decline.
- Track how lifestyle changes or medicines affect health over time.
They also highlighted pathways that might be useful for future treatments, such as bile‑acid metabolism, NAD‑related processes, gut‑bacterial products, oxidative‑stress markers, and specific steroids.
“Our hope is to turn these measurable signs into tests and safe interventions that help everyone stay healthier and more active for longer,” the researchers noted. The work was published in the journal GeroScience.