A ‘landmark study’
Commenting on the study in an interview, Thomas Perls, MD, MPH, professor of medicine, Boston University, called it a “landmark” study in research on exceptional longevity in humans.
Dr. Perls, the author of an accompanying editorial, noted that “one cannot absolutely assume a certain level or disability or risk for disease just because a person has achieved extreme age – in fact, if anything, their ability to achieve much older ages likely indicates that they have resistance or resilience to aging-related problems.”
Understanding the mechanism of the resilience could lead to treatment or prevention of AD, said Dr. Perls, who was not involved in the research.
“People have to be careful about ageist myths and attitudes and not have the ageist idea that the older you get, the sicker you get, because many individuals disprove that,” he cautioned.
The study was supported by Stichting Alzheimer Nederland and Stichting Vumc Fonds. Research from the Alzheimer Center Amsterdam is part of the neurodegeneration research program of Amsterdam Neuroscience. Dr. Holstege and Dr. Perls reported having no relevant financial relationships. The other authors’ disclosures are listed on the original article.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.