What Health Factors Could Lead to Exceptional Longevity?

People are living longer…much longer! Since 1950, the number of people who have celebrated their 100th birthday has doubled every decade. Experts project that over the next 30 years the number of centenarians will quintuple. What are some of the factors associated with such exceptional longevity?

Do Your Genes Determine Exceptional Longevity?

Genes exert a powerful impact on longevity, according to a study published in the journal Science (Jan. 29, 2026). The investigators studied over 2,000 siblings in Sweden and the United States to try and tease out the effects of nurture and nature. In other words, how much did genetics influence lifespan compared to other factors such as exercise, diet and lifestyle choices?

To find out, the investigators tracked data from the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging. Specifically, they analyzed data from twins raised apart for life-span heritability. They also studied American siblings of US centenarians. In theory, twins or even siblings raised apart would be exposed to quite different environmental factors as they grew up. Twins or children raised in the same household usually have similar environmental influences.

Before this analysis, it was believed that mortality was only about 20 to 25% heritable. The new research suggests that genetics plays a role that is more than double that to about 55%.

The authors were quick to point out that roughly half of our life-span remains unexplained by genetics. They attribute the other half to lifestyle, access to health care and socioeconomic factors. Exposure to toxins such as lead could shorten a person’s lifespan regardless of genetic potential.

The investigators conclude their research by stating that

“Identifying the genetic variants underlying this heritability would help us to understand the fundamental mechanisms of human aging.”

Biomarkers Linked to Exceptional Longevity:

Swedish researchers have been collecting biomarkers from a large population for 35 years (Geroscience, Sept. 19, 2023). They focused their research primarily on markers of metabolism and inflammation. To accomplish this, they collected laboratory data between 1985 and 1996 from a cohort of nearly 800,000 individuals. The initial study is dubbed the AMORIS study, for Apolipoprotein MOrtality RISk. With the data linked to national patient registers, investigators could follow people born between 1893 and 1920 until they reached 100 or died trying.

The analysis of 12 different biomarkers derived from blood tests found ten that seemed associated with exceptional longevity. By and large, those who eventually blew out 100 candles on their cake had values that were neither high nor low. However, centenarians had lower levels of glucose, creatinine and uric acid in their bloodstreams at the time of measurement than others. People in this cohort were between 65 and 92 at that point. Somewhat surprisingly, people who survived beyond their 100th birthday had higher levels of iron and cholesterol than people who never made it to that ripe old age. The study does not offer enough information to tell us when striving for the lowest possible cholesterol level becomes counterproductive.

Are There Secrets to Get You to 100?

The scientists did not collect data on lifestyle or diet. Consequently, we don’t know whether a specific exercise plan or eating pattern contributed to a healthy biomarker profile. However, this research is consistent with earlier findings.

Healthy old people seem to have no better idea than the rest of us what factors are most helpful. In one study, the investigators interviewed 477 Ashkenazi Jews who were at least 95 years old and living on their own (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, online Aug. 3, 2011). The seniors answered questions about their diet and lifestyle at age 70, including weight, alcohol consumption, physical activity and smoking habits. The investigators compared the results to those from similar questions asked of people born at around the same time. Those people participated in a national nutrition and health study in the early 1970s.

Overall, there was very little difference in healthy habits between the nonagenarians and those in the regular population who presumably did not survive to such an old age. The scientists concluded that centenarians probably benefit from exceptional longevity genes. Even though there may be no secret, the rest of us would do well to follow a healthy lifestyle. We can do that by exercising, eating sensibly, maintaining a healthy weight and engaging with friends and family. Some or all of these practices may help us maintain the metabolic balance that shows up as moderate biomarkers in our blood. Even if we don’t end up as centenarians, enjoying good health until the end is not such a bad prospect.

Learn More:

You may wish to listen to some of the interviews we have done with experts on healthy aging. These include a podcast with Erin Sharoni on How to Delay Aging.  You may also be interested in Show 1117: What Can Chinese Centenarians Teach You About Long Life?

More recently, we interviewed Dr. Gladys McGarey, a centenarian physician, in Show 1345: Secrets to Living a Long Healthy Life. There is also Show 1056: Longevity, Spice and Diet–Secrets Italians Know That You Don’t.