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conferenceseries.com
Volume 8 Journal of Palliative Care & Medicine
ISSN: 2165-7386 Geriatrics 2018
July 30-31, 2018
July 30-31, 2018 | Barcelona, Spain
8th International Conference on
Geriatrics Gerontology & Palliative Nursing
Amazonian rainforest elderly project: Lessons from 10 years study about a pre-Colombian lifestyle
ageing
Euler Esteves Ribeiro and Maia-Ribeiro EE
Amazonas State University, Brazil
Statement of the Problem: Evidence from last 40 years suggested that increment of some chronic non-transmissible diseases
(CNTD) in human populations is associated to lifestyle changes, including overfeeding and sedentarism, in comparison to
pre-historical communities. However, there are few World areas that could to be used to investigate aging processes with some
similarities present primitive human populations. Amazon rainforest tropical region could help us understand the human
aging. This region consists of 7 million km2 and most of its populations are concentrated in small urban settlements localized
along the river and its main tributaries. Due geographic isolation, riparian population (caboclos) have difficulty to access
health and social services, and some pre-Colombian lifestyle elements are maintained until now. In this context, from 2007
was started Elderly Rainforest Project (ERP) that investigates gene-environmental variables that acts on aging and CBTD
prevalence. Lessons from 10 years ERP results are reviewed and discussed here.
Methods: Crossectional, longitudinal and experimental investigations published of ERP were reviewed and results are
synthetized and discussed here.
Results: From an initial comparative analysis between 1802 riparian elderly (Maués-AM) and 1509 urbanized elderly
(Manaus-AM) and subsequent studies from 637 riparian subjects was possible to observe, which despite low-income, low-
education and difficulties to health and service access the riparian elderly presented: (1) low CNTDs-prevalence; (2) very
good functional fitness and balance; (3) habitual food consumption based in “fish and fruits” and cassava products suggesting
existence of a “ pre-Colombian Amazonian diet pattern”; (5) self-report of poor hearing was main variable associated to high
riverine mortality, probably due relevance of oral communication in traditional communities. (6) until moment, longevity
gene markers were not identified in this population.
Conclusion & Significance: Data from Amazonian riparian elderly people reinforce that diet, physical/social activity are
universal elements modulating human survival until late-ages.
Biography
Euler Esteves Ribeiro has his expertise in geriatric and gerontology MD, PhD. He is director of Open Third University of Amazonas State University (UnATI/UEA) from
Amazonas, Brazil, and is a clinical coordinator of Elderly Amazonian Rainforest Project that investigates some ageing and health aspects of population living in this
biodiverse tropical region of the World. He has several books and publications associated with gerontology, and also have important research interaction with national and
international research groups such as Japan, Spain and Canada.
Euler Esteves Ribeiro et al., J Palliat Care Med 2018, Volume 8
DOI: 10.4172/2165-7386-C2-017