The fountain of youth may be flowing through your veins.
A new study out of Switzerland identified key proteins in the blood of centenarians that appear to be linked to slower aging.
Scientists say the findings could guide future research aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of the biology of longevity — and potentially inspire therapies to extend human life.
It’s a striking discovery, especially in light of Pew Research Center data showing that the majority of US adults hope to live to at least 91.
And yet, the average American born in 2024 is expected to celebrate just 79 birthdays.
That marks a record high for life expectancy in the US, but it still falls short of most other developed countries, where it reached the low to mid-80s in 2024, according to the United Nations.
In the study, scientists collected blood samples from 39 centenarians averaging 101 years old, 55 hospitalized seniors averaging 86, and 40 healthy adults averaging 41.
Using a highly sensitive blood analysis, the team measured 724 proteins in each sample, including 358 tied to inflammation and 366 linked to heart health, both crucial for longevity.
Of those 724 proteins, 37 stood out.
“In our centenarians, the profiles of these 37 proteins are closer to those of the youngest group than to those of octogenarians,” Flavien Delhaes, researcher at UNIGE’s Faculty of Medicine and first author of the study, said in a press release.
“This represents approximately 5% of the proteins measured, suggesting that centenarians do not entirely escape aging, but that certain key mechanisms are significantly slowed down.”
Among the biggest differences were proteins tied to oxidative stress. This imbalance between rogue free radicals and protective antioxidants in the body speeds up aging and fuels chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s.
Oxidative stress comes mainly from chronic inflammation, where white blood cells release free radicals to fight off threats, and from dysfunctional mitochondria that produce these molecules in excess.
“Do centenarians produce fewer free radicals, or do they have a more powerful antioxidant defence?” asked Karl-Heinz Krause, professor emeritus at UNIGE’s Faculty of Medicine and co-author of the study.
“The answer is very clear: centenarians have significantly lower levels of antioxidant proteins than the standard geriatric population,” he explained.
“At first glance this seems counterintuitive, but it shows that because oxidative stress is so much lower, they simply need fewer antioxidant proteins to keep it in check.”
Centenarians also kept certain proteins surprisingly youthful levels.
For instance, regulatory proteins in the extracellular matrix, which help keep tissues strong, stayed at the same youthful levels seen in much younger participants.
Proteins tied to fat metabolism, which normally spike with age, also rose far less in the centenarian group. In a similar pattern, interleukin-1 alpha, a key inflammatory protein, remained lower than expected.
Even DPP-4, a protein that breaks down GLP-1 — a hormone that boosts insulin and is the target of new diabetes and obesity drugs — stayed intact, helping centenarians’ metabolism run more smoothly.
“By breaking down GLP-1, DPP-4 helps keep insulin levels relatively low, which could protect against hyperinsulinism and metabolic syndrome,” Delhaes explained.
“This may seem counterintuitive, but it suggests centenarians maintain good glucose balance without needing to produce large amounts of insulin,” he added.
For now, the researchers said the findings highlight the important role of a healthy lifestyle — something we can all influence, since genetics account for only about 25% of longevity.
“Eating a piece of fruit in the morning can reduce oxidative stress in the blood throughout the day,” the study authors noted.
“Physical activity helps maintain the extracellular matrix in a more ‘youthful’ state,” they continued. “And avoiding excess weight also helps preserve a healthy metabolism, similar to that observed in centenarians.”
