Infection, inflammation, height, and longevity

Abstract

Using historical data from cohorts born before the 20th century in four northern European countries, we show that increasing longevity and declining mortality in the elderly occurred among the same birth cohorts that experienced a reduction in mortality at younger ages. Concurrently, these cohorts also experienced increasing adult height. We hypothesize that both the decline in old-age mortality and the increase in height were promoted by the reduced burden of infections and inflammation. Thus, early growth and cardiovascular diseases of old age may share infectious and inflammatory causes rooted in the external environment.

Fig. 1.

Model linking infectious exposure at earlier ages and external environment to inflammation, height, organ damage, morbidity, and mortality at older ages. Barker (10) and Fogel (11) emphasize dietary influences on growth/development as a central mechanism.

Fig. 2.

Mortality of birth cohorts at ages 1 and 70 in Sweden (1751-1899) (a), France (1806-1899) (b), Switzerland (1871-1899) (c), and England (1841-1899) (d) with deviation from maximum cohort height at age 20-21 up to 1899 (measured in millimeters on right axis).