Longevity program: scientists investigate the health status of the elderly

At the beginning of May, the scientific staff of the Arctic Research Center of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Magadan), one of the participants of the REC "North: Territory of Sustainable Development", completed research work within the framework of the program of scientific monitoring of the psychophysiological state of the elderly in the conditions of the North-East of Russia.

Currently, the worldwide population of people aged 65 and older, the so-called elderly, is growing faster than other age groups. If in 1950 the percentage of the population over the age of 60 was only 8%, then in 2019 this category amounted to 703 million people and is expected to reach 21% in 2050 (about 2.1 billion people). This is due to the improvement of advanced medical technologies and the healthcare system as a whole. The rapidly growing number of elderly people represents a demographic characteristic of modern life around the world. Therefore, given the aging of the population and the increase in life expectancy of older people, there is a need for research that focuses on preventive measures that are less expensive in order to minimize the changes in the body that occur due to inadequate aging.

The goal of the project of the scientists of our Center was aimed at assessing the level of functional reserves of elderly people living in the conditions of the north of Russia. In the conducted monitoring studies (in different seasons of the year), data were obtained on the main indicators of physical development, circulatory system, heart rate variability, respiratory function, microcirculation, encephalogram, thermal imaging of the body, energy and metabolic characteristics of the subjects. In addition, each volunteer had an analysis of the microelement status of the body for excessive and insufficient concentrations of micro- and macronutrients; an assessment of the biochemical parameters of the body according to lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, an analysis of vitamin D and B12 content. The frequencies of genes determining predisposition to arterial hypertension were also studied for the first time. In addition to physiological characteristics, data on the mode of motor activity, addiction to bad habits were obtained and the psychophysiological parameters of elderly Northern men were analyzed.

It should be noted that the data obtained are scientific support for the implementation of the Kolyma Longevity program in the Magadan region. Currently, the results obtained have been communicated to the listeners in the courses of lectures within the framework of this project.