Unlocking the Secrets to Living to 100

Need to get pleasure from an extended, wholesome, and pleased life? Simply stay like a centenarian.

That’s the recommendation of Stacy Andersen, a behavioral neuroscientist at Boston College and co-director of the New England Centenarian Research, the most important examine of centenarians and their households on this planet. 

The examine, which has enrolled greater than 3,000 centenarians over its 30-year historical past, has been exploring the genetic components, way of life decisions, and environmental influences that seem to play a task within the longevity of people that stay to 100 and past. The hope is that by learning centenarians, researchers can discover remedies, in addition to determine habits and environmental components, that might assist everybody stay more healthy for longer.

“Our objective is to not get everybody to stay to age 100. What we’re attempting to know is: How do you reside to no matter age—your 70s, 80s, or 90s—in excellent well being?” Andersen says. 

It seems that centenarians, on common, don’t smoke, eat a diverse eating regimen, are social, and customarily don’t sweat the small stuff. They usually spend extra years of their life in good well being, referred to as “healthspan.” In addition they are likely to have a sense of goal and may discover pleasure within the on a regular basis, even of their twilight years, Andersen says.

As a part of TIME’s sequence interviewing leaders within the longevity subject, we spoke to Andersen about her work with centenarians and what all of us can be taught from them about getting older properly. 

This interview has been condensed and edited for readability.

You run the New England Centenarian Research. What’s it? 

The examine was began in 1995 by Dr. Thomas Perls [a Boston University geriatrician]. When Dr. Perls was a fellow doing his coaching in geriatrics, he was assigned to 2 sufferers over the age of 100 who have been residing in a retirement neighborhood. He had all the time been taught that the older you get, the sicker you get, so he anticipated the sufferers to be confined to their rooms and to be his sickest sufferers—however that wasn’t the case. A lot to his shock, they have been two of his healthiest and most energetic sufferers. They have been giving piano concert events to the neighborhood. They have been on the market doing issues. He questioned if the 2 sufferers have been simply two outstanding outliers or if there was one thing completely different about individuals who attain these excessive ages—100 and over. So, he began the New England Centenarian Research. It has that identify as a result of it initially began within the eight cities round Boston, however over time we have enrolled individuals everywhere in the U.S., Canada, and different nations as properly.

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So far, we’ve enrolled over 3,000 centenarians, in addition to a lot of their siblings and offspring. Our oldest participant died on the age of 119. Her daughter lived to 101.

What we have seen with our centenarians is that the older you get, the more healthy you have been, as a result of, on common, centenarians have considerably delayed or prevented many power age-related sicknesses. So along with having many additional years of life, additionally they have very lengthy healthspans. And I believe that is what most of us need.

What sorts of knowledge do you acquire from the examine individuals? 

The very first thing we do is get a blood pattern. We’re taking a look at many alternative components within the blood that might inform us about how individuals age in a wholesome method. We have a look at genetics, however then we transcend the genes and have a look at different -omics information [which refers to the study of biological molecules like DNA, RNA, proteins, and metabolites]. We additionally acquire a stool pattern in order that we are able to perceive how micro organism within the intestine would possibly contribute to wholesome getting older, and we ship individuals preconfigured touchscreen tablets via which we are able to administer an array of cognitive operate assessments. We additionally verify their blood stress and measure their grip power. 

Then we observe up with them yearly. We wish to see what medical circumstances they develop after we meet them. Are they nonetheless capable of stroll a sure distance? Are they nonetheless capable of handle their medicines on their very own over time? We’re actually attempting to know their getting older trajectory.

For one in all our research, we deal with what we name “cognitive superagers” [those who maintain cognitive function similar to people who are 30 years younger]. For that examine, we ask individuals to enroll in our mind donation program so we are able to have a look at their mind tissue after they move away and determine whether or not there’s the protein buildup that is related to Alzheimer’s illness or frontotemporal dementia. For a few of our centenarians, we’ve seen an actual disconnect. They functioned very properly of their every day lives, however then we have a look at their mind tissue and so they have important buildup of amyloid and tau [proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease]. From these circumstances, we are able to be taught quite a bit about resilience. We’re nonetheless attempting to know how that disconnect occurs. How do they keep such good cognitive operate after they have proof of Alzheimer’s illness of their brains?

How massive of a task does genetics play in centenarians’ longevity?

For the overwhelming majority of us, genetics accounts for less than about 25% [of longevity], and the remaining is expounded to the well being behaviors that we observe. Do you keep a wholesome weight? Are you consuming a nutritious eating regimen? Are you getting reasonable exercise on daily basis? These are issues that may assist everybody stay 10 years longer. 

For centenarians, there’s a a lot greater genetic part. Genetics accounts for about 75% of what will get you to actually excessive ages like 105 and older. We’ve realized over time that it actually isn’t one or two genes which might be getting individuals to those excessive ages, however extra like 200 genetic variants.

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We additionally all the time assumed that our centenarians would not have illness variants of genes and that they should be enriched for protecting components, however it seems that, with a few exceptions, they do have a lot of the similar illness genes. This means much more strongly that they’re enriched with protecting components, and that’s what we’re attempting to be taught extra about, as a result of that might assist everybody. If we are able to perceive these organic mechanisms, we may in principle give you therapeutics that may assist the final inhabitants.

Like a long life capsule? 

Nicely, we’ve seen that centenarians have a more healthy immune profile. We have seen that they’ve higher DNA restore, and their cells appear to react in a different way to emphasize. We’re attempting to dig into these mechanisms and people may very well be translated right into a capsule that might replicate those self same results.

Are there environmental components and way of life habits that appear to contribute to centenarians’ longevity? 

Sure, genetics isn’t every little thing. Environmental components are a giant piece that we’re attempting to dive into extra now. We’re taking a look at issues like sleep and leisure actions, social networks, how lengthy individuals labored for and why they retired, how lengthy individuals drive for and why they stopped driving. We wish to perceive if persevering with to do wealthy actions over your lifetime performs a task in reaching age 100. 

There are various centenarian research everywhere in the world, and each takes a special lens on longevity, however I’d say that throughout research it actually looks like centenarians have excellent psychological well-being. They have an inclination to attain low in neuroticism. They do not fear an excessive amount of about dangerous issues that occur. They’re capable of take care of them and transfer on. In addition they rating excessive in extraversion. They’re prepared to attempt new issues. They are typically very outgoing, which I believe helps them make new social connections as their friends move away. They’re out doing issues and assembly new individuals, and that helps their social networks. It additionally helps maintain their brains sturdy.

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One other massive piece is that there appears to be a sense of getting goal in life—so waking up within the morning with issues that you just wish to do. I believe that is a bit of bit shocking to listen to about individuals at age 100; you would possibly assume they’re simply sitting round doing nothing, however that is actually not the case. They nonetheless have issues that they wish to accomplish. Possibly they don’t seem to be planning 10 years out, however they’re nonetheless discovering pleasure in life.

Typically, our centenarians say that they by no means adopted any particular eating regimen and so they didn’t go to the health club however they stayed busy and so they have been cautious to not overeat and so they ate a variety of meals. 

How about smoking and alcohol? 

Smoking may be very uncommon amongst our centenarians. Occasionally you will see within the media a 105-year-old girl who’s smoking a pack a day, however that’s a needle in a haystack. 

By way of alcohol, it varies. They largely aren’t consuming excessively, however a few of our centenarians do have a glass of wine a day or a shot of no matter they like on daily basis. There’s plenty of variability within the completely different well being behaviors of our centenarians. They don’t seem to be all doing one factor.

Does gender play a task?

About 85% of our centenarians are ladies. However the fascinating factor is, the lads who stay to 100 are typically more healthy. The ladies are higher at surviving a very long time with power illnesses. The lads, though there are far fewer of them who attain age 100, usually have excellent bodily and cognitive operate. The lads are typically what we name “escapers,” the place they’re avoiding illness till after the age of 100.

I do not assume we all know but why there’s this distinction, however it’s an space that we maintain taking a look at, and it is a motive that taking a look at intercourse variations even amongst centenarians is de facto vital.

Has working with centenarians modified the best way you consider getting older? 

It has given me a really optimistic view of getting older. Most individuals I do know say they do not wish to age or they’re fearful of getting older, and what we hear from our centenarians is that additionally they have been fearful of getting older, however then they reached age 100 and so they discovered that they really loved it.

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I believe seeing individuals at age 100 who’re having fun with life and doing the issues they wish to do and who nonetheless love studying is de facto eye-opening. Centenarians additionally simply have a lot knowledge, and to really communicate with one is mostly a reward.

What’s subsequent for the centenarian examine? 

Our examine has proven that centenarians attain their excessive ages as a result of they’re, on common, very wholesome agers. And now we’re attempting to delve into the organic mechanisms underlying that, in addition to well being behaviors and environmental components which may assist them age so properly.