The Okinawa Centenarian Study More about the Okinawa Centenarian Study Meet the centenarians Meet the research team Contact the OCS team
Scientific Publications

Scientific Manuscripts

A Selection from >200 Peer-Reviewed Publications by OCS Investigators

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open some of the available papers.
  1. Willcox DC, Willcox BJ, Wang T, Rosenbaum M, Suzuki M. Life at the Extreme Limit: Phenotypic Characteristics of Supercentenarians in Okinawa. J Gerontol: Biol Med Sci 2008 (In press).
  2. Willcox BJ, Curb JD, Rodriguez BL. Antioxidants in cardiovascular health and disease: key lessons from epidemiologic studies. Am J Cardiol 2008 (In press).
  3. Willcox DC, Willcox BJ, He Q, Wang N-C, Suzuki M. They Really are that Old: A Validation Study of Centenarian Prevalence in Okinawa. J Gerontol: Biol Med Sci 2008 (In press).
  4. Suzuki M, Willcox C, Willcox B. The historical context of Okinawan longevity: influence of the United States and Mainland Japan. Okinawa J Am Studies 2008;4:46-61.
  5. Willcox BJ, Willcox DC, Todoriki H, Yano K, Curb JD, Suzuki M. Caloric restriction, energy balance and healthy aging in Okinawans and Americans: biomarker differences in septuagenarians. Okinawa J Am Studies 2008;4:62-74.
  6. Willcox BJ, Willcox DC, Todoriki H, Fujiyoshi A, Yano K, he Q, Curb JD, Suzuki M. Caloric restriction, the traditional Okinawan diet and healthy aging: the diet of the world's longest-lived people and its potential impact on morbidity and lifespan. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2007;1114:434-55. (Abstract)
  7. Willcox DC, Willcox BJ, Sokolovsky J, Sakihara S. The cultural context of "successful aging" among older women weavers in a northern Okinawan village: The role of productive activity. J Cross Cult Gerontol. 2007;22:137-65. PDF
  8. Willcox DC, Willcox BJ, Shimajiri S, Kurechi S, Suzuki M. Aging gracefully: a retrospective analysis of functional status in Okinawan centenarians. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2007;15:252-6. PDF
  9. Yanagita M, Willcox BJ, Masaki K, Chen R, He Q, Rodriguez BL, Ueshima H, Curb JD. Physical activity and depression: investigating a complex relationship using performance-based measures. Am J Geriatr Psych 2006;14:1060-8. PDF
  10. Willcox BJ. (Editorial). Centenarians and other exceptional survivors as models for aging research. AGE 2006;28:309-11.PDF
  11. Willcox DC, Willcox BJ, Hsueh W, Suzuki M. Genetic determinants of exceptional human longevity: insights from the Okinawa Centenarian Study. AGE 2006;28:313-32. PDF
  12. Willcox BJ, He Q, Chen R, Yano K, Masaki KH, Grove JS, Donlon TA, Willcox DC, Curb JD. Midlife risk factors and healthy survival in men. JAMA 2006;296:2343-2350. (Full Article)
  13. Willcox DC, Willcox BJ, Todoriki H, Curb JD, Suzuki M. Caloric restriction and human longevity: what can we learn from the Okinawans? Biogerontology 2006;7:173-177. (PDF)
  14. Curb JD, Ceria-Ulep CD, Rodriguez BL, Grove J, Guralnik J, Willcox BJ, Masaki KH, Chen R. Performance based measures of physical function for high function populations. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2006;54:737-42. (Abstract)
  15. Willcox BJ, Willcox DC, He Q, Curb JD, Suzuki M. Siblings of Okinawan centenarians exhibit lifelong mortality advantages. J Gerontol A Biol Med Sci. 2006;61:345-54. (PDF)
  16. Imke C, Rodriguez BL, Grove JS, McNamara JR, Waslien C, Katz AR, Willcox BJ, Yano K, Curb JD. Are remnant-like particles independent predictors of coronary heart disease incidence? The Honolulu Heart Study. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2005;25:1718-22. PDF
  17. Bernstein AM, Willcox BJ, Tamaki H, Kunishima N, et al. Autopsy of an Okinawan-Japanese centenarian: absence of many age-related diseases. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2004;59:1195-9. PDF
  18. Willcox BJ, Yano K, Chen R, Willcox DC, Rodriguez BL, Masaki KH, Donlon T, Tanaka B, Curb JD. How much should we eat? The association between energy intake and mortality in a 36-year follow-up study of Japanese-American men in Hawaii. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2004;59:789-95. PDF
  19. Willcox BJ, Scott JN. Growth associated proteins and regeneration-induced gene expression in the aging neuron. Mech Age Dev. 2004;125:513-16. PDF
  20. Willcox BJ, Abbott RD, Yano K, Rodriguez BL, Willcox DC, Curb JD. C-reactive protein, cardiovascular disease and stroke: new roles for an old biomarker. Expert Rev Neurotherapeutics 2004;4:507-18. (Abstract)
  21. Willcox BJ, Abbott RD, Yano K, Rodriguez BL, Willcox DC, Tanaka B, Curb JD. C-reactive protein as a novel risk factor for cardiovascular disease: is it ready for prime time? Cardiovascular Rev Rep. 2004;25:66-9. (Abstract-you will need to register to view)
  22. Todoriki H, Willcox DC, Willcox BJ. The Effects of Post-War Dietary change on longevity and health in Okinawa. Oki J Amer Studies 2004;1:55-64. PDF
  23. Yano K, Willcox B, Chen R, Rodriguez B, Curb JD. The impact of westernization on the risk of atherosclerotic vascular disease among Japanese-American men in Hawaii. Atheroscler Suppl 2003;4:7.
  24. Willcox BJ, DC Willcox, Suzuki M. Nutrition and aging in Okinawa: is there a diet that extends health span? J Am Diet Assoc Pulse (CPE) 2001;20:5-8. PDF
  25. Suzuki M, Willcox BJ, Willcox DC. Implications from and for food cultures for cardiovascular disease: longevity. Asia Pacific J Clin Nutr 2001;10:165-71. PDF
  26. Nozaki H, Nohara Y, Ashitomi I, Zukeran R, Inafuku T, Akisaka M, Suzuki M. [Serum albumin level and activities of daily living in centenarians] Nippon Ronen Igakkai Zasshi. 1998;35:741-7. Japanese. (Abstract)
  27. Nozaki H, Nohara Y, Ashitomi I, Zukeran R, Inafuku T, Akisaka M, Suzuki M. [Serum globulin levels and activities of daily living in centenarians] Nippon Ronen Igakkai Zasshi. 1998;35:680-5. Japanese. (Abstract)
  28. Akisaka M, Suzuki M. [Okinawa Longevity Study. Molecular genetic analysis of HLA genes in the very old] Nippon Ronen Igakkai Zasshi. 1998;35:294-8. Japanese. (Abstract)
  29. Akisaka M, Suzuki M, Inoko H. Molecular genetic studies on DNA polymorphism of the HLA class II genes associated with human longevity. Tissue Antigens. 1997;50:489-93. (Abstract
  30. Chan YC, Suzuki M, Yamamoto S. Dietary, anthropometric, hematological and biochemical assessment of the nutritional status of centenarians and elderly people in Okinawa, Japan. J Am Coll Nutr. 1997;16:229-35. (Abstract)
  31. Chan YC, Suzuki M, Yamamoto S. Nutritional status of centenarians assessed by activity and anthropometric, hematological and biochemical characteristics. Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 1997;43:73-81. (Abstract)
  32. Akisaka M, Asato L, Chan YC, Suzuki M, Uezato T, Yamamoto S. Energy and nutrient intakes of Okinawan centenarians.J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 1996;42:241-8. (Abstract)
  33. Akisaka M, Nohara Y, Suzuki M. [Family history and the frequency of human leukocyte antigen (HLA-DR) in centenarians] Nippon Ronen Igakkai Zasshi. 1996;33:180-5. Japanese. (Abstract)
  34. Akisaka M, Asato L, Suzuki M, et al. Relationship between bone density and nutrient intakes of Okinawan centenarians. Osteoporosis 1996;4:503-509.
  35. Suzuki M, Akisaka M, Ashitomi I, Higa K, Nozaki H. [Chronological study concerning ADL among Okinawan centenarians] Nippon Ronen Igakkai Zasshi. 1995;32:416-23. Japanese. (Abstract)
  36. Koibuchi H, Hayakawa K, Uehara T, Ogido T, Nagataki S, Suzuki M. [Anterior chamber dimensions in normal subjects on Kume Island, Okinawa] Nippon Ganka Gakkai Zasshi. 1993;97:1185-92. Japanese. (Abstract)
  37. Akisaka M, Ashitomi I, Adachi M, Tanaka Y, Suzuki M. [The relationship between aortic pulse wave velocity and atherogenic index in centenarians] Nippon Ronen Igakkai Zasshi. 1993;30:467-73. Japanese.(Abstract)
  38. Takata H, Suzuki M, Ishii T, Sekiguchi S, Iri H. Influence of major histocompatibility complex region genes on human longevity among Okinawan-Japanese centenarians and nonagenarians.Lancet. 1987;2(8563):824-6.(Abstract)