# LIFEstyle factors and LONGevity (LIFELONG) Study

> **NIH NIH R01** · HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH · 2024 · $622,451

## Abstract

Globally, the world population is aging. Yet, living to age 90 (defined here as exceptional longevity) is still rare
and exceeds the US life expectancy at birth by 11 years and at age 65 by over 5 years. Individuals who reach
age 90 have been shown to have delayed onset of major chronic diseases or improved survival from chronic
diseases compared to those who die at younger ages. Genetic determinants only explain 25% of the variability
in human lifespan, suggesting that modifiable factors may be key to promoting longevity and healthy aging. Yet,
the dietary factors that optimize healthy longevity remains controversial and prospective evidence is lacking on
whether modifiable factors impact the likelihood of older adults achieving exceptional longevity. Our over-arching
goal is to provide evidence for recommendations on modifiable factors targeted towards older adults to promote
healthy longevity in which lifespan approximates health span. This project leverages the Pooling Project of
Prospective Studies of Diet and Cancer, an NCI consortium of large, well-characterized prospective cohorts
worldwide, to assess the role of dietary and other modifiable factors in relation to exceptional longevity in older
adults. Our aims focus on exposures that have been associated with chronic diseases and hypothesized to
impact longevity. We propose to examine commonly consumed foods (i.e., coffee, alcohol, ultra-processed
foods, red meat), dietary fiber, metrics associated with individual and planetary health (i.e., food group diversity
and adherence to the EAT-Lancet planetary health diet), recommendation-based dietary scores which account
for synergism between foods, and lifestyle scores of dietary and other modifiable factors with the likelihood of
living to age 90 (exceptional longevity). We will examine whether associations are differential by socio-
demographic, lifestyle, behavioral, and social factors and health conditions. The project will include 11 cohorts
from three continents including nearly 317,000 participants aged 60-75 years old at study enrollment, among
whom over 31,000 achieved exceptional longevity. Each cohort has high-quality exposure and covariate data
captured at baseline and during follow-up and includes at least 200 individuals who lived to age 90. We will
employ different analytic approaches to address potential biases common in mortality studies. This well powered
project will allow for a comprehensive evaluation of modifiable factors overall and by pertinent health-related
factors in relation to exceptional longevity, beyond the collective influence of morbid conditions that occur in older
adulthood. Examination of repeated exposure measures will enhance precision of exposure classifications and
evaluation of potential exposure changes with aging. The results will complement those gleaned from mortality
studies which are focused on risk factors for premature death and studies of those over age 90 which lack control
comparisons. The...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10976763
- **Project number:** 1R01AG082685-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
- **Principal Investigator:** STEPHANIE A SMITH-WARNER
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $622,451
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-30 → 2029-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10976763

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10976763, LIFEstyle factors and LONGevity (LIFELONG) Study (1R01AG082685-01A1). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-26 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/10976763. Licensed CC0.

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