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Association of endemic goitre and exceptional longevity in Sardinia: evidence from an ecological study

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Abstract

This study aims to test the hypothesis that a high prevalence of endemic goitre, considered as a proxy measure for subclinically reduced thyroid function in the population, is geographically associated with exceptional longevity. Using historical data available for 377 Sardinian municipalities in the first half of the twentieth century, we performed an ecological study to investigate the geographic distribution of goitre and its spatial association with demographic indicators of population longevity. This analysis was conducted by using both conventional ordinary least square and geographically weighted regression models to take into account spatial autocorrelation and included other longevity-associated factors previously identified in Sardinia. The spatial analysis revealed that the goitre rate (p < 0.0001), the proportion of inhabitants involved in pastoralism (p = 0.016), the terrain inclination (p = 0.008), and the distance from the workplace as a proxy for physical activity (p = 0.023) were consistently associated with population longevity at an aggregated level in the 377 municipalities. Within the limits of an ecological study design, our findings support the existence of a significant association between high goitre prevalence and increased probability to survive into old age. The present study confirms previous results and is consistent with animal studies and epidemiological surveys in other long-lived areas known as Blue Zones. Potential mechanisms underlying this association need to be further investigated.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dr Marianna Tosi for help in retrieving demographic data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. S.C. di Endocrinologia, Malattie della Nutrizione e del Ricambio - Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Sassari, Viale San Pietro 43, Sassari, Italy

    Francesco Tolu & Mario Palermo

  2. Department of Medical, Surgical and Experimental Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy

    Maria Pina Dore & Giovanni Mario Pes

  3. Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Sassari, Sassari, Italy

    Alessandra Errigo

  4. Departamento de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública e Historia de la Ciencia, Universidad de Màlaga, Màlaga, Spain

    Ana Canelada

  5. Estonian Institute for Population Studies, Tallinn University, Tallinn, Estonia

    Michel Poulain

  6. Sardinia Blue Zone Observatory, Sardinia, Italy

    Giovanni Mario Pes

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  1. Francesco Tolu
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  2. Mario Palermo
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  3. Maria Pina Dore
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  6. Michel Poulain
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  7. Giovanni Mario Pes
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Correspondence to Francesco Tolu.

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Tolu, F., Palermo, M., Dore, M.P. et al. Association of endemic goitre and exceptional longevity in Sardinia: evidence from an ecological study. Eur J Ageing 16, 405–414 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-019-00510-4

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