Antioxidant defense in centenarians (a preliminary study)

The study was designed to assess the antioxidant defense mechanisms, either enzymatic or non-enzymatic, in a group of sixteen centenarians (one male a nd fifteen female subjects aged 101 to 105 years) living in the Upper Siles ia district (Poland) in or der to evaluate the potential role of antioxidan t defenses in human longevity. The results of our preliminary study showed that in comparison with young healthy female adults the centenarians had si gnificantly higher red blood cell glutathione reductase and catalase activi ties and higher, although insignificantly, serum vitamin E level.