Real time analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in centenarians

tCentenarians are a model to study human longevity and the physiological process of aging. A plethoraof studies on this model show the complexity of the system. Laboratory studies fail to find a biomarkerof senescence. The real time exhaled breath volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has been suggested as anew biomarker to detect and monitor physiological processes in the respiratory system. VOCs exhaledby centenarians have not been studied in the general population and across-age-groups. In the presentstudy we investigated, in real time, the breath properties and VOC exhaled content in healthy cente-narians as compared with non-centenarian seniors and young healthy subjects. We found distinctlydifferent breath pattern and distribution profiles of VOCs in the centenarians. Thus, the VOCs measure-ment allowed to discriminate the differences between the age-groups. We propose a VOCs fingerprintas a biomarker underlying the physiological mechanisms of aging and longevity. Longevity should beconsidered physiologically as a new phase of life, characteristic of the well adapted subject.