How to live to 100
Researchers from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have been following a group of people born in 1913, for the past 50 years. Of the 855 men, 27 per cent lived to 80 years, 13 per cent to 90, and ten lived past 100 years of age.
42% of deaths after the age of 80 were due to cardiovascular disease, 20% to infectious diseases, 8% to stroke, 8% to cancer, 6% to pneumonia and 16% to other causes.
A total of 23% of the over-80 group were diagnosed with some type of dementia.
Commments included:
“Our recommendation for people who aspire to centernarianism is to refrain from smoking, maintain healthy cholesterol levels and confine themselves to four cups of coffee a day.”
“It also helps if you paid a high rent for a flat or owning a house at age 50 (indicating good socio-econmic standard), enjoy robust working capacity at a bicycle test when you are 54 and have a mother who lived for a long time.”
“Our findings that there is a correlation with maternal but not paternal longevity are fully consistent with a previous studies”, said Dr. Wilhelmsen, the research team leasder. “Given that the same associations have been demonstrated in Hawaii, the genetic factor appears to be a strong one. But still we found that this “genetic factor” was weaker than the other factors. So factors that can be influenced are important for a long life.”
