Apolipoprotein E and B polymorphisms - longevity factors assessed in nonagenarians☆

Abstract To test if the prevalence of genetic risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) is low in individuals who have reached an extremely old age, the allele frequencies of apolipoprotein E (apo E) and B (apo B) polymorphisms and plasma lipoprotein(a) levels were investigated in nonagenarians and in younger control groups. The frequency of the ϵ4 alle of apo significantly lower in the nonagenarians than in the middle-aged and young adults ( P Eco Rl allele R- of apo B was low in the nonagenarians, whereas the allele frequency for the Xba l polymorphism of apo B and plasma lipoprotein(a) concentrations did not differ between the nonagenarians and the younger groups. These findings strongly suggest that the presence of these potential genetic risk factors for CHD, namely the e4 allele of apo E and the R- allele of apo B, decreases the probability of an individual reaching an extremely old age.