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Background/Objectives: Overweight and obesity are generally considered risk factors for premature mortality. However, scientific evidence suggests that among older populations, mild conditions of overweight might be associated with reduced comorbidity and longer survival. This study investigates the potential association between anthropometric parameters and survival among a cohort of nonagenarians in Sardinia, Italy. Methods: This study included 200 subjects (50% females) aged 89 and older, enrolled in 2018 in the Sardinian Blue Zone—a population known for longevity—and followed for up to six years. Anthropometric variables such as body height, weight, age, sex, comorbidity, disability, and food group intake were collected using validated questionnaires and analyzed through multivariable analysis. Results: Out of 200 participants at baseline, 28 (14%) were still alive after six years of follow-up (females 10%, males 18%). Mean survival was 3.36 years (range 0.1–6.9 years) for males and 3.03 years (range 0.2–6.6 years) for females. Participants with a Body Mass Index (BMI) in the range of 25.0–27.0 kg/m2 among males and 25.0–27.2 kg/m2 among females had longer survival compared to those who were underweight (p = 0.002) or obese (p < 0.0001). The Cox proportional hazards regression model, adjusted for age, sex, and comorbidity, revealed a statistically significant association between the BMI and survival, demonstrating an inverted–U relationship. This indicates that mild overweight was associated with a survival advantage compared to both normal weight and obesity. Conclusions: Our study indicates that mild, but not severe, overweight in nonagenarians is associated with extended lifespan. Therefore, primary care physicians and geriatricians should exercise caution before recommending calorie-restricted diets for mildly overweight elderly patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Depression is common among the elderly, resulting in poor quality of life and elevated healthcare expenditure. Among other factors, dietary habits could also affect this condition, although the specific food patterns involved remain to be established. The present study aimed to assess the role of plant-versus animal-dominant foods consumption on the affective state of nonagenarians from a Sardinian population, Italy, well known for its longevity (Blue Zone). Methods: Data, including demographic, education, anthropometric parameters, monthly income, and comorbidity were recorded and analyzed. Symptomatic depression was assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) during a comprehensive home geriatric assessment; nutritional status was evaluated by a validated food frequency questionnaire. Results: A total of 200 elderly subjects living in the Sardinian Blue Zone (mean age 93.9 ± 3.9 years) participated in the study; symptomatic depression was present in 51% of the whole cohort and was more common among women. Multivariable logistic regression showed a significantly greater risk of depression in people consuming plantbased foods (OR = 1.42, 95% CI 1.04-1.93), whereas moderate animal-derived foods consumption was associated with a better affective state (OR = 0.79, 95% CI 0.62-0.98). Conclusions: These findings indicate that a more balanced diet, including animal-derived foods, instead of an exclusive plant-dominant diet, may be more appropriate in the elderly, and abstention from animal-based food intake should not be recommended in advanced age to prevent depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical activity was identified as a major determinant of longevity. Using wearable accelerometers, we evaluated energy expenditure (EE), including resting- (REE) and total-energy expenditure (TEE), physical activity level (PAL), percentage of PAL ≥ 3 metabolic equivalent tasks (METs), number of steps, resting index (RI%) and sleep patterns in 44 free-living nonagenarians (27 men) residing in a Sardinian village famous for its longevous population. The average REE and TEE recorded were 1275 ±163 kcal/day and 2284 ±543 in the men and 952 ±108 kcal/day and 1810 ±302 in the women, respectively. The average PAL was 1.8, and the percentage of physical activity >3 METs was greater than 40%. A significant negative correlation (p < 0.05) between disability and PAL was found among the women. This study provides evidence that nonagenarians from the longevous population of Sardinia show excellent physical functionality indexes. Their longevity might result, at least in part, from their ability to stay physically fit during aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last century, a progressive rise in stature, known as the 'secular trend', was documented worldwide, and especially in Sardinia, it has reached a peak in Europe. However, this situation recently ceased in several populations. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the stature secular trend has significantly leveled off in the Sardinian younger generations. Height measurements were retrieved from a database of patients undergoing digestive endoscopy, spanning generations between 1920 and 1990. Sex-specific principal component regression models were fitted to decompose stature variation into the contribution of age, period, and birth cohort. A steady increase in stature was observed in generations born after 1920, with an upward surge in those born after 1950. However, a significant leveling off was observed among cohorts born after 1970 among both sexes, as mean heights stabilized at 171.1 cm with a standard error (SE) of 0.9 cm among men and a mean of 160.1 cm (SE = 0.9 cm) among women. Our findings support a significant slowdown in the secular trend of stature among the latest Sardinian generations. Several factors, including the consumption of low-quality food, lack of physical activity, and late motherhood, among others, may explain the decline in the secular trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is an inherited disorder common in Sardinia. In this study, the frequency variation of G6PD-deficiency across age groups and birth cohorts was investigated using Age-Period-Cohort analysis. Methods: Data were collected from the clinical records of 11,252 patients (6975 women, age range 17-94 years) who underwent endoscopy between 2000 and 2016 at a teaching hospital (University of Sassari), Italy. G6PD status was assessed by enzymatic assay based on G6PD/6GPD ratio. A Poisson log-linear regression model was used to identify age and time trend in G6PD deficiency. Results: Enzyme deficiency was detected in 11.4% of the entire cohort (men: 7.9%; women: 13.6%). Age-Period-Cohort analysis showed no inflection points across age groups, especially after age 80. The effects of time period and birth cohorts on G6PD deficiency were negligible (frequencies before and after 1950 were 11.0% and 11.8%, respectively). Conclusions: These findings indicate that the frequency of G6PD deficiency does not vary significantly in oldest subjects. The lack of evidence for selection across the malaria eradication time may be explained by other factors, including somatic cell selection or misclassification of heterozygotes women as G6PD normal in the older birth cohorts. Additional molecular studies may help clarify these issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]