As researchers work toward unlocking the keys to longevity, a small group of people known as centenarians are providing helpful clues. What’s a centenarian? It’s someone who has lived to be 100 years old or older, and researchers believe that both genetics and lifestyle behaviors play an important part in a centenarian’s health and longevity.
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Most importantly, centenarians can help teach us how to live healthy and long lives. Most centenarians are thought to have a genetic advantage that allows them to live healthier, longer lives than other people. Research has shown that more than half of centenarians have close relatives who have also lived to a very old age. In fact, some centenarians have lived long, healthy lives despite "doing everything wrong" when it comes to following a healthy lifestyle. Others, however, have been rewarded for taking all the right health steps over the course of their lives.
Is Longevity All in the Genes?
"My mother never exercised a day in her life and is about to turn 108," says Karen Preston, age 69, of Palm City, Fla. Preston's mother, Vivian Henschke, of Longmeadow, Mass., smoked most of her life, had two cocktails before dinner just about every night, and never really watched what she ate.
"Mother did nothing by today's standards to help her have great longevity," says Preston, who attributes her mother's long, healthy life to good genes. Interestingly, Henschke had her children at ages 39 and 40, which also demonstrates the exceptional fertility shared by many people who live to age 100. Researchers believe that centenarians' bodies, including their reproductive systems, tend to age more slowly than the rest of the population, giving them a genetic advantage for successful aging.
Is a Healthy Lifestyle the Key to Longevity?
According to the New England Centenarian Study (NECS), a study of centenarians living in and around the Boston area, certain lifestyle factors tended to be more common among centenarians, including:
- Not smoking. Although they grew up in an era where the risks of smoking were not well known, substantial smoking is rare among centenarians. Nicholas Pierro, age 100, of Jacksonville, Fla., once smoked, but stopped at around age 60 to avoid the negative effects it was having on his health. "I did a lot of smoking," Pierro admits. "And then I realized that I was getting a pain in my chest, and so I stopped smoking and then the pain went away."
- Maintaining a healthy body weight. Very few of the centenarians enrolled in the NECS were obese, and nearly all the men had body weights that were considered lean.
- Exercising regularly. In a study that examined the genetics and lifestyle factors of a group of Okinawan centenarians, researchers found that these Japanese centenarians exercised fairly regularly throughout their lives. Louis Charpentier, age 99, of Leominster, Mass., started exercising long before going to the gym was common. "When I was 20 years old, [my friends and I] started weight-lifting," Charpentier remembers. "Finally I could lift 125 pounds over my head, and I only weighed 150 pounds!" Charpentier still does standing exercises and chair exercises to keep him in shape. Pierro has also kept moving throughout his life. He worked as a landscaper when he was younger and continues to spend time working in his yard.
- Eating a healthful diet. The Okinawan centenarians tend to eat a very healthy diet, low in calories and high in fruits and vegetables, fiber, and good fats, like omega-3 fatty acids. "I don’t eat very much," says Charpentier, "but I always eat a fruit, a vegetable, and a little meat, and I always make sure that I get sardines and salmon at least once or twice a week."
Centenarians Share Their Secrets
Each person is individual, and what works for one may not work for another — but these centenarians believe their lifestyle decisions led to their longevity.
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Pierro says that one of his secrets to successful aging was to stay debt-free for most of his life. "For less than seven years I had a mortgage. [Then] I paid everything outright and I've lived that way until today," Pierro says, explaining that not owing any money gave him the piece of mind he wanted. "That is the secret to longevity right there."
Charpentier attributes his longevity in part to staying active in his community. He maintains a colorful display of about 265 Christmas foam carvings in his yard that draws thousands of visitors each year. He still works on his hobby, wood and foam carvings, every day. To live your healthiest life, "keep busy doing what you like," Charpentier recommends.