Clinical trial NCT04840381: Dietary Habits and Lifestyle of Nonagenarians and Centenarians in the Italian Abruzzo Region
Official title: Dietary Habits and Lifestyle of Nonagenarians and Centenarians in the Italian Abruzzo Region
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: LONGEVITY 1
Diet Habit
Fasting
Activity, Motor
Keywords: Sdijuno
Centenarians
Dietary habits
Longevity
Fasting
Lead sponsor: University of Teramo
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: DAngelino
First posted: 2021-04-12
Enrollment: 200
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 90
Standard ages: OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Observational model: ECOLOGIC_OR_COMMUNITY
Time perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Volunteers borned in the Abruzzo region and living in the Abruzzo region, or spent most of their life in the Abruzzo region.

Brief summary: The "CenTEnari" study is a cross-sectional study aiming at suveying the dietary and lifestyle habits of nonagenarians and centenarianss of citizens of the Abruzzo region, Italy.

Detailed description: Several epidemiological studies indicates that diet and physical activity are two pivotal pillars for the maintenance the of the health status and for longevity. These two last factors seem to be strictly linked between them, as demonstrated by some studies on the so called "Blue zones", particular lands in the planet where longevity rate - in terms of nonagenarians and centenarians - is particularly high. In these studies, it has been pointed out that, other than genetics, individuals following dietary regimens with lower consumption of available carbohydrates and processed foods, higher consumption of fruit, vegetables, cereals and pulses and moderate intake of meat, fish and dairy foods live longer and in a healthier status.

The Abruzzo region is characterized by a great gastronomical variability, due also to the particular geographical characterization, with a few kilometer distance between sea and mountains. However, most of these dietary habits tend to stick in a valuable way to Mediterranean Diet, a dietary regimen listed in 2010 in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Intriguingly, the Mediterranean Diet is based on the intake of the above mentioned food groups, plus a recognized key role of the physical activity and conviviality in the meal consumption.

Particularly, in the internal and mountainous part of the Abruzzo region, it has been found that the local citizens followed/follows a typical "dietary practice" called "sdijuno", which in local dialect means "to break the fasting of the night". In fact, "sdijuno" was the first abundant meal of the day - usually at mid-morning, based on the local vegetable-based foods - following the previous frugal dinner and breakfast meals. Thus, it can be hypothesized of 14-16 hours of almost fasting period. This evidence falls into the most recent findings showing the importance to consume meals in the middle part of the day and limiting the caloric intake during evening time, when metabolism tends to decrease according to body circadian rhythm.

Based on these premises, the aim of the present study is to survey the dietary habits of nonagenarians and centenarians of the Abruzzo region - particularly focusing on their adherence to "sdijuno" practice - as well as physical activity and to collect personal data and health status information. Then, it will be investigated whether the adherence to the "sdijuno" dietary practice is relevant among the nonagenarians and centenarians and there is a link between this practice and the longevity of the volunteers. To do this, an ad hoc questionnaire has been set-up and will be administered to register food frequency and meal time, main recipes, physical activity habits, health status.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Age ≥ 90 years old
* Borned and living for most of their life in the Abruzzo region.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Age lower 80 years old.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Frequency of intake of food groups
timeFrame: 1 year
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Moderate or Vigorous Physical Activity Per Week
timeFrame: 1 Week
measure: Mealtime
timeFrame: 1 Day
measure: Body weight
timeFrame: 1 Day
measure: Body height
timeFrame: 1 Day
measure: Body Mass Index (BMI)
timeFrame: 1 Day
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Teramo
country: Italy
facility: University of Teramo - Faculty of Bioscience and Agro-Food and Environmental Technology
Study officials:
References:
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citation: Gensous N, Franceschi C, Santoro A, Milazzo M, Garagnani P, Bacalini MG. The Impact of Caloric Restriction on the Epigenetic Signatures of Aging. Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Apr 24;20(8):2022. doi: 10.3390/ijms20082022.
citation: Magrone T, Perez de Heredia F, Jirillo E, Morabito G, Marcos A, Serafini M. Functional foods and nutraceuticals as therapeutic tools for the treatment of diet-related diseases. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2013 Jun;91(6):387-96. doi: 10.1139/cjpp-2012-0307. Epub 2013 Apr 12.
citation: Poulain M, Pes GM, Grasland C, Carru C, Ferrucci L, Baggio G, Franceschi C, Deiana L. Identification of a geographic area characterized by extreme longevity in the Sardinia island: the AKEA study. Exp Gerontol. 2004 Sep;39(9):1423-9. doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2004.06.016.