Research Programs
HEALTHY AGING & LONGEVITY
NEW RESEARCH PROJECTS ON LONGEVITY AND HEALTHY AGING IN THAILAND WITH THE COLLABORATION OF THE NATION BUILDING INSTITUTE (NBI – Thailand)
From November 12th to November 16th, 2022 Prof. Salvatore di Somma conducted together with the research team of NBI, a preliminary research work with Centenarian elderlies in Hua Sai District (Nakhon Sri Thammarat Province – Thailand).
Prof. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak, PhD D.Phil., Chairman of the Nation-Building Institute International, presented the projects and invited Prof. Di Somma (Rome) and Prof. Melander (Sweden) to talk about the CIAO STUDY conducted in Cilento (Italy) during the International Conference on GoldenZone Wellness in Bangkok in December 2022.
CIAO Study
CIAO (Cilento on Aging Outcome Study) is a transversal epidemiological study aimed at identifying those factors that are linked to longevity in a vast and relatively wild region of Southern Italy (Cilento).
Cilento with its aging population in good health represents a good example of a geographical area to be studied for predictors of survival and longevity linked to environmental factors and lifestyles.
The first CIAO study was carried out in 2016 and was the pilot for further studies targeting the Cilento population, the Mediterranean diet and the Cilento area.
The CIAO Study Background
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- Centenarian studies, like most centenarians themselves, are a phenomenon of only the past several decades
- No large repository of prior biological, psychosocial, demographic, genetic, or clinical data from which to inform researchers, policy makers, or clinicians
The CIAO Study Background
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- Okinawa Centenarian Study – world’s longest continuously running centenarian study
– began in 1975 and is now entered its fourth decade. The longest running centenarian study - Georgia Centenarian Study – The longest running centenarian study in the USA
– Recently celebrated its 20th anniversary by hosting a conference with different centenarian research teams from around the world - Other major studies ongoing in Italy, Sweden, Germany, and other areas of the world
The CIAO Study Background
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- Okinawa Centenarian Study – world’s longest continuously running centenarian study
– began in 1975 and is now entered its fourth decade. The longest running centenarian study - Georgia Centenarian Study – The longest running centenarian study in the USA
– Recently celebrated its 20th anniversary by hosting a conference with different centenarian research teams from around the world - Other major studies ongoing in Italy, Sweden, Germany, and other areas of the world
The CIAO Study Background
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Exploring the centenarian phenotype…..
- Centenarians are overwhelmingly female
- However the few males who do live to 100 tend to have higher levels of functioning when compared to their female counterparts
- Understanding aging-related phenotypes has taken on new importance for the gerontological research agenda
The CIAO Study Background
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- Multiple studies of centenarians have helped quantify and characterize the phenotype of exceptional survivors in terms of
- Aging biomarkers
- Biochemistry
- Nutritional status
- Oxidative Stress
- Anthropometry
- Cardiovascular risk profiles
- Physical and cognitive functioning
- Personality traits
- However no study has evaluated all these phenotypic parameters together
The CIAO Study Background
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STATEMENT OF WORK
- Cross-sectional epidemiological no-profit study
- Will serve as a pilot for a longitudinal study
– aimed to identify those factors that contribute to the longevity in a vast and relatively wild region of Southern Italy (Cilento
– Cilento with its healthy aging population represents a good example of geographic area to be studied for survival predictors, and factors related to environment/ lifestyle - Results from this Pilot study will be used for verifying the feasibility and for drafting the epidemiological longitudinal CIAO protocol
Publications
- Jeste, D.V., Di Somma, S., Lee, E.E., Nguyen, T.T., Scalcione, M., Biaggi, A., Daly, R., Liu, J., Tu, X., Ziedonis, D. and Glorioso, D., 2020. Study of loneliness and wisdom in 482 middle-aged and oldest-old adults: a comparison between people in Cilento, Italy and San Diego, USA. Aging & Mental Health, pp.1-11.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2020.1821170 - Daniels, L.B., Antonini, P., Marino, R., Rizzo, M., Navarin, S., Lucibello, S.G., Maisel, A.S., Pizza, V., Brenner, D.A., Jeste, D.V. and Di Somma, S., 2020. Cardiovascular health of nonagenarians in southern Italy: A cross-sectional, home-based pilot study of longevity. Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine, 21(2), pp.89-98.
https://doi.org/10.2459/JCM.0000000000000910 - Pizza, V., Antonini, P., Marino, R., D’Arena, G., Lucibello, S.G., Rizzo, M., Brenner, D.A., Jeste, D.V. and Di Somma, S., 2020. Cognitive Health of Nonagenarians in Southern Italy: A Descriptive Analysis from a Cross-Sectional, Home-Based Pilot Study of Exceptional Longevity (Cilento Initiative on Aging Outcomes or CIAO). Medicina, 56(5), p.218.
https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina56050218 - Scelzo, A., Di Somma, S., Antonini, P., Montross, L.P., Schork, N., Brenner, D. and Jeste, D.V., 2018. Mixed-methods quantitative–qualitative study of 29 nonagenarians and centenarians in rural Southern Italy: focus on positive psychological traits. International psychogeriatrics, 30(1), pp.31-38.
https://doi.org/10.1017/s1041610217002721 - Melander, O., Antonini, P., Ottosson, F. et al. Comparison of cardiovascular disease and cancer prevalence between Mediterranean and north European middle-aged populations (The Cilento on Ageing Outcomes Study and The Malmö Offspring Study). Intern Emerg Med (2021)
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11739-020-02625-4
