Plasma Lipid, Apolipoprotein and Lp(a) Levels in Elderly Normolipidemic Women: Relationships with Coronary Heart Disease and Longevity

Abstract

The relation between plasma lipids and coronary heart disease (CHD) in the elderly is still debated, as well as the proposed role of lipoproteins as markers of longevity. In this study both normolipidemic elderly and middle-aged women with CHD showed higher triglycerides and apolipoprotein B levels and lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-I levels in comparison with age-matched subjects without CHD. In the middle-aged group, hypertension and HDL-cholesterol levels and, in the elderly group, only HDL-cholesterol levels were independently associated with CHD. No significant difference was found between a group of healthy centenarians and elderly and middle-aged subjects without CHD. These data suggest that plasma lipids are also related to CHD in the elderly and that, even if at present we are not able to consider them as predictors of longevity, some lipoprotein features may contribute to select subgroups of subjects in which other factors play a further role in life expectancy.

Lipoprotein Profile and High-Density Lipoproteins: Subfractions Distribution in Centenarians

“…In the first hypothesis elevated Lp(a) levels do not necessarily preclude a long life expectancy; in the second, mechanisms underlying Lp(a) increase are to be established; however, it is likely that a lower catabolic rate occurs rather than an increased production from liver. Present findings agree with our previous data [25], and with other reports which failed to demonstrate any important relation between total lipoprotein profile and a healthy ageing [13-18, 21, 31, 32]. It is possible that subjects with altered lipid profile died at a younger age but other factors, lipoprotein-related or not, are further involved in determining healthy ageing in normolipidemic subjects.…”

“…The main aim of this study was to evaluate HDLgge subfractions in our group of centenarians. Several data reported a main influence of HDL on longevity [12,[19][20][21][22][23], but, in agreement with present results, we previously failed to find any relationship with total plasma levels [25]. Since the predictive role of HDL in atherosclerotic risk differs between various subfractions [7][8][9], we postulated that, beyond total HDL-cholesterol levels, a 'protective' distribution of HDLgge subpopulations might be present in very aged people.…”

“…More recently, Luc et al [21] demonstrated that healthy octogenarians compared with younger controls showed a selective increase of an HDL particle containing only apolipoprotein A-I (LpA-I), suggesting that even the distribution of HDL subfractions might be involved in longevity [21]. We previously documented that, in spite of an independent and inverse association of total HDL-cholesterol levels with CHD in old women, no relation exists between any lipoprotein parameters and longevity [25]. However, we could not rule out that some lipoprotein features not measured, e.g.…”

Lipoproteins, Vascular-Related Genetic Factors, and Human Longevity

“…65 These findings are consistent with those of an Italian study in which centenarians had lower levels of HDL3a-C and higher levels of HDL2b-C, which were found to be inversely correlated with CAD risk, suggesting a role of HDL subfractions in extreme longevity. 66 Precedent data on the same sample demonstrated that, in spite of an independent and inverse association of total HDL-C levels with CAD in older women, no relation exists between any lipoprotein parameter and longevity in Italian centenarians. 67 Finally, healthy Italian centenarians had LDL-C significantly lower and HDL-C with an opposite trend compared to aged subjects, suggesting a less atherogenic plasma lipid and lipoprotein profile in centenarians than aged subjects.…”

Successful ageing: from cell to self

“…Many studies have examined the centenarian phenotype to identify factors associated with maximum lifespan. These include body fat and metabolism (Paolisso et al 1995), cardiovascular risk factors (Barbagallo et al 1995;Baggio et al 1998), immune function (Effros et al 1994;Franceschi et al 1995) and cognitive function (Silver et al 1998(Silver et al , 2001Andersen-Ranberg et al 2001;Hagberg et al 2001). Interestingly, none of these extrinsic and intrinsic factors has been shown to correlate with the ability to survive into extreme old age (Karasawa 1979;Beregi 1990;Beard 1991;Poon 1992;Perls et al 1999).…”