Aged Hunter-Gatherers Exhibit Low Arterial Stiffness
In recent years, researchers have turned their attention to the long-term health and aging of the few remaining populations of hunter-gatherers, such as the Tsimane that are the subject of today's open access paper. The lifestyle led by these individuals is characterized by high levels of exercise and a diet low in all of the usual line items that we know are not that good for us, such as processed sugars. Hunter-gatherer populations exhibit dramatically lower levels of cardiovascular disease and dysfunction than is the case for people in wealthier parts of the world. Their existence is a mirror, held up to show the rest of us just how much harm can be done by a sedentary life and a bad diet.
The Tsimane have been the subject of a range of studies of late. They exhibit slower onset of neurodegeneration, minimal degrees of atrial fibrillation, little hypertension and obesity, superior metabolic health, little to no increase in systemic inflammation with age, and so forth. We should all be so lucky - but there is no luck involved here, this is all the outcome of a particular lifestyle. Today's open access paper produces the expected data on arterial stiffness to accompany other published work on the cardiovascular health of the Tsimane; there are a few eye-opening numbers in that data set. The few metabolically unhealthy Tsimane are outperforming the healthy US populations in the metric of arterial stiffness, for example. We might take that as a measure of the degree to which a sedentary lifestyle is actively harmful to long-term health.
Arterial Stiffness in Heart-Healthy Indigenous Tsimane Forager-Horticulturalists
We conducted a cross-sectional study comparing 3 arterial stiffness metrics among Tsimane forager-horticulturalists with 2 representative US cohorts. Tsimane participants exhibited superior arterial health compared with US cohorts, with higher elasticity and lower stiffness. Stiffness measures were 47.3% and 35.7% better than US cohort participants by age 40 years, respectively, and differences remained sustained throughout adulthood. The carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity in Tsimane participants was 33.9% lower and showed a minimal age-related increase, with carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity only higher by age 70+. Tsimane participants with ≥2 comorbidities (hypertension, obesity, and diabetes) had ≈25% higher arterial elasticity than healthy Americans with no comorbidities.
The disparities in arterial stiffness between Tsimane and urbanized cohorts can be attributed to their subsistence-oriented lifestyle and environmental context, which align with key metrics in cardiovascular health promotion, such as a lean diet, high physical activity, and consistently low blood glucose and blood pressure. The combined effect of the aforementioned factors might promote optimal vascular health from early life and contribute to sustained cardiovascular well-being. In fact, Tsimane individuals lifestyle exemplifies many of the core principles outlined in the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 metrics, a framework that emphasizes proactive cardiovascular health improvement and preservation across the life course. Based on that framework, the primary distinctions between Tsimane and their urbanized peers are diet and physical activity, the 2 criteria in which US adults scored the lowest among all 8 cardiovascular health metrics between 2013 and 2020.
Tsimane individuals typically engage in high levels of low- and moderate-intensity activities year-round, despite seasonality of production tasks. Men and women typically engage in physical activity for 6 to 7 hours/day and 4 to 6 hours/day, respectively, averaging ≈17,000 steps daily. Activity levels remain relatively high throughout adulthood, though decline at late ages. Studies have reported an attenuated age-related arterial stiffness increase in physically active populations. A recent meta-analysis found that sustained aerobic exercise interventions reduce arterial stiffness, particularly measures of pulse wave velocity. The underlying mechanism involves improved vessel wall homeostasis through a combination of pathways, including decreased vascular oxidative stress, increased endothelial nitric oxide bioavailability, and upregulation of vascular growth factors. Moreover, the diet of Tsimane individuals is best characterized as high-carbohydrate, fiber-rich, and low-fat, with a high intake of micronutrients, such as potassium and magnesium. This dietary pattern, centered on cultigens, freshwater fish, and wild game, closely resembles the recommended heart-healthy diet, with an emphasis on healthy fats, dietary fiber, whole grains, healthy-sourced proteins, and limited refined sugars and processed foods.
Ozzy's dead! From Parkinson's. We must find a cure for aging.
The tribe does not have a written language. So how would they have determined ages? Apparently some Euro created a quasi written version of their language back in the 1980s, but it is not like the tribe uses it.
it is possible that elders in tsimane tribe exagerated their ages because in their culture being old (elder) is honorable and prestigious,.... and researchers could not objectively verify their ages.
in any case , even if tsimane people avoid arterial stiffness and artherosclerosis and heart desease in their "old age", they still die and suffer of other causes of degenerative aging and they need and want to be cured of of aging (geriatric syndromes).
curing all age related illnesses may extend healthspan and lifespan by a few years but not more than 120 years (which is maximum human lifespan)
Radical life extension beyond 120 years with the help of new technologies is necessary and desirable for most humans -- within the next few years -- in our lifetimes.
@nicholas. Right. i would say is not just possible, but very likely that such tribes routinely engage in age inflation because they have picked up on the motivations of researchers. The older they claim to be, the more researchers are interested in talking with and testing them, and the more stuff the researchers are willing to give them for access to them.
Yet for all that, even excluding infant mortality, the Tsimane only have a life-expectancy of about 56 - probably due to a greater exposure to.disease and accidents, but still seems odd with such good adult health metrics
It would be interesting to compare their good health metrics with a similar group of active, health-conscious Westerners - maybe there wouldn't be so much difference.