A study identifies the keys to living 100 years in good health and summarizes them in three pieces of advice
Researchers believe that people who live that long are able to delay the symptoms of aging thanks to their way of life.
In about 100 years, life expectancy has increased dramatically. An American child born in 1900 lived, on average, only 46 to 48 years. Now, the average life expectancy worldwide is between 70 and 73 years. However, there are people who are capable of far surpassing this average. In fact, today there are more supercentenarians, or people living beyond the age of 100, than ever before in history. But why?
The researchers believe that people who live that long are able to delay the symptoms of aging. "Most current centenarians have survived beyond the average life expectancy because they delayed disease development to an age closer to death, which characterizes the compression of morbidity," researchers Eduardo J. Simoes and Luis R. Ramos explain in an editorial published in the journal Nutrients.
The two authors have conducted a comprehensive new study in which they reviewed the factors that affect life expectancy and explored lifestyle choices that may allow some people to live well beyond a century. Their research has led them to focus their findings on 3 tips for extending life and increasing the chances of extending life beyond 100 years.
To do so, they take a look back through history. Thus, while the 20th century is known for the turmoil of the Great Depression, it was also a time when jobs and working conditions improved dramatically. Advances in education made people more informed about their health.
In addition, rising incomes allowed them to make choices that improved their health. After World War II, the scale and impact of global conflicts decreased, also increasing life expectancy.
At this time, an important factor is the decline in morbidity (number of people falling ill) and mortality attributed to infectious diseases such as typhoid fever and cholera. Access to sanitation and clean water reduced the spread of pathogens.
Antibiotics and other medical advances made it possible to treat serious diseases, both infectious and noncommunicable, more effectively. However, as infectious diseases declined, chronic and non-infectious diseases became more common. Diabetes and cardiovascular disease are now the leading causes of death worldwide.
Why we don't live longer: environmental habits and risks
But in the new century, not all factors are good; many negatively affect life expectancy. More people started smoking and many adopted inadequate diets due to the greater availability of processed and sugary foods. Sedentary lifestyles also became widespread. These were some of the reasons for the current increase in cancer and heart disease.
In addition, many of the risk factors are environmental. People are also more exposed than before to higher levels of environmental pollution and chemicals, holding back what could perhaps make us live much longer.
Why do some people live so long?
Beyond the systemic reasons why life expectancy changes, it seems clear that some people live much longer than others - why? First, there may be some genetic basis for this: researchers have estimated that genes contribute 20-40% to life expectancy. However, other factors also play a role.
Thus, the experiences of centenarians may hold the key to helping more people stay healthy throughout their lives. Centenarians make up a significant part of the population in some parts of the world, such as Spain, Italy, Greece, Japan and Costa Rica.
Scientists call these zones blue and have found that they share some common characteristics: their inhabitants tend to follow healthier diets and are physically active, whether for work or leisure. They also tend to have strong cultural and community values.
The role of diet has been studied in detail in many populations, such as those of Chinese, Japanese and Mediterranean descent. A 60-year study of Okinawans over the age of 65 found that restricting calories was associated with longer life and healthier aging over the long term. Healthy diets reduce the risk of some cancers, diabetes and heart disease.
Reducing fat intake does not seem to have clear benefits in terms of heart health and diabetes, but reducing calorie and carbohydrate intake does. Mediterranean diets are known to be very beneficial for many reasons. Consuming more fresh fruits and vegetables is also a healthy choice, but vegetables preserved in salt are not.
Centenarians also remain physically active and adopt healthy habits throughout their lives. Exercise can reduce mortality risk by 27%, increase life expectancy by just over a year and improve cognitive function. Smoking, on the other hand, can accelerate cognitive decline among centenarians.
The scientists' conclusion is that as people age, they are affected by various chronic conditions. However, centenarians appear healthier, even at their advanced age, than younger octogenarians and nonagenarians.
"Centenarians have, in general, a lower burden of morbidity and treatment, and lower use of both primary and hospital health services than octogenarians and nonagenarians, suggesting better health status," the authors note.
Health promotion in aging populations that are increasingly suffering from chronic noncommunicable diseases should encourage healthy habits, such as exercise, social interaction and a balanced diet. These are, for them, the three keys that should be followed according to their work.
From a medical point of view, centenarians do not avoid physiological decline and diseases related to old age. However, the rate of decline is slower in centenarians and is offset by their greater resilience in the face of daily stress.
This editorial review explored several factors that contribute to longer life expectancy and found sufficient evidence for the vital role of lifestyle and dietary changes in increasing life expectancy and achieving centenarian status. The researchers hope that future work will build on these findings on increasing life expectancy by studying centenarians and their diet and lifestyle.
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