Find out how you could increase your odds of becoming a centenarian by 62%.

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Reviewed by Dietitian Annie Nguyen, M.A., RDReviewed by Dietitian Annie Nguyen, M.A., RD

I love watching news stories about people turning 100+ and hearing what they attribute their longevity to. One might say they took a shot of whiskey every day, while another claims they’ve never had a drop to drink in their life. Some talk about having a partner you can laugh with, others say it was staying single. And of course, some highlight staying active and eating a healthy diet. All of this highlights how genetics play some role in longevity.

Related: The 3 Best Ways to Maintain Your Muscle Mass to Live Longer, According to Dietitians

We’ve also reported on how certain lifestyle factors can impact longevity. For example, following Blue Zone principles might help you live longer—like limiting added sugar, eating “just enough to satisfy,” moving more, and prioritizing sleep and stress relief.

Few studies, though, include people aged 80 and older—until now. Researchers in the U.S. and China wanted to see whether following a healthy lifestyle later in life was associated with a higher likelihood of becoming a centenarian—people who live to at least 100—and their findings were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on June 20, 2024. Let’s see what they found.

How Was This Study Conducted?

Data was drawn from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), a nationwide, ongoing survey representing a cohort of the older population in China. Data was collected in eight waves of surveys conducted in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2014 and 2018 with follow-ups of preexisting participants and recruitment of new participants in each round of the survey.

Because these researchers were studying people who could potentially live to be 100, they had to be at least 80 years old if they entered the study between 1998 and 2008, and at least 90 years old if they entered in 2008.

There ended up being a total of 5,222 participants. About 62% of them were women and 38% were men. The average age was 94. Besides age and sex, other sociodemographic information was collected, including residence (whether they were urban or rural dwellers), years of education, marital status and self-reported medical history of chronic conditions (hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and cancer).

Centenarians were classified as “cases.” They were then matched up with people the same age and sex who had entered the study the same year but who had died before the age of 100. This second group was classified as “controls.” In other words, centenarians were matched with people of the same age and sex who didn’t live as long so that their lifestyles could be compared.

Of the 5,222 participants, 1,454 were classified as centenarians and 3,768 as controls since they died before the age of 100. This put the matching ratio at 1 centenarian for every 4 controls (1:4).

Researchers constructed a Healthy Lifestyle Score (HLS) based on five lifestyle components: smoking, alcohol use, exercise, dietary diversity and body mass index (BMI). These variables were assessed via in-person questionnaires and physical examinations by trained field workers from the local Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Katherine L. Tucker, Ph.D., a distinguished university professor of biomedical and nutritional sciences at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and one of the study authors, explains that for each lifestyle area, there were three possible categories:

• Alcohol: non-drinker, moderate drinker, heavy drinker

• Smoking: never, former, current

• Exercise: never, former, current

• Diet Diversity: low, moderate, high

• BMI: low, high, normal

Related: Researchers Just Discovered a More Accurate Measure Than BMI—Here’s Why They Say It’s Better

“In those orders, each category was given 0, 1, or 2. These were then summed with a range of 0-10; the total score was predictive [of living to 100 or not],” Tucker tells EatingWell.

What Does This Study Suggest?

After several statistical analyses were run, researchers found that compared to the lowest-scored group (those with an HLS of 0-5), the highest-scoring group (score of 8-10) had a 57% greater chance of living to 100.

Based on the results from this primary analysis, researchers reconfigured the HLS into a different survey they called the HLS-100. This time, they included only smoking, exercise and diet diversity, as they felt this better reflected this age group’s healthy lifestyle behaviors and related health outcomes.

The possible points given were reduced for the HLS-100, as were the groupings. Individuals with 0-1 points were classified as “unhealthy lifestyle” and those with 2-3 points as “healthy lifestyle.” After running statistical analyses for the HLS-100, compared to the unhealthy lifestyle group, the odds of reaching the age of 100 for the healthy lifestyle group strengthened to 62%.

Researchers used “becoming a centenarian with a relatively healthy status” as an outcome. “Healthy status” included having no self-reported chronic conditions, normal physical and cognitive function, and good mental wellness—all of which were also assessed using validated questionnaires. This is important because longevity doesn’t necessarily equate to a good quality of life.

The question this now brings up is, did certain variables have more influence on living to 100?

““Individually, the major contributors to becoming a centenarian were, in this order: exercising, never smoking and having high dietary diversity,” says Tucker. “Alcohol [intake] was not associated [with living to 100] on its own.” “

How Does This Apply to Real Life?

In this study, diet diversity was assessed based on regularly consuming five food groups: fruits, vegetables, fish, beans and tea—all nutrient-dense foods that provide antioxidants, vitamins and minerals necessary for good health. Fruits, vegetables and beans also provide fiber, which is connected to many health benefits, including living longer.

According to the supplemental material provided with the study, exercise included activities such as Qigong and running. Since Qigong is considered light to moderate in intensity and running is vigorous, this covers the intensity spectrum—which means that all exercise counts.

Related: Is Walking a Good Enough Form of Exercise?

The mental wellness of participants was determined by asking questions about anxiety and loneliness. There is evidence that loneliness increases inflammation and decreases immunity.

In addition, stress, lack of sleep and anxiety are all connected and can cause physical and mental distress. For example, stress can mess with your gut and even decrease the number of beneficial bacteria residing there. Fewer beneficial bacteria can increase inflammation. And inflammation can be a culprit in many physical and mental conditions.

All this is to say that we must take a holistic approach to health. Eat a variety of foods, move your body regularly, get plenty of quality sleep, manage your stressors and nurture positive relationships. Who knows? You, too, might live to become a centenarian!

Read the original article on Eating Well.