P206: Genetic and non-genetic factors associated with population longevity in Sardinia

The study of populations with exceptionally high longevity is a promising model in mortality research. So far, we identified several geographical areas called ‘Longevity Blue Zones’ (LBZ) around the world where a significant proportion of people reach oldest age. In the Mediterranean island of Sardinia the LBZ encompasses a cluster of mountain municipalities where the chance of a newborn of becoming a centenarian was as high as 526/100,000. Outside the LBZ the distribution of long-lived people shows a more spatially dispersed pattern and the probability of living to 100 is ‘only’ 195/100,000, suggesting that the lifetime mortality selection is lower in the LBZ than elsewhere in Sardinia.