Successful habits of those living beyond age 100

A recent article in The Times of India took a look at the secrets of longevity – habits of those who have already lived beyond the century mark.

The article notes that as recently as 2000, there were only about 1.5 million people around the world age 100 and older – by 2021, there were more than 5 million.

The Times cites an article in the journal GeroScience that found “dietary practice and weight management in healthcare strategies to promote healthy aging played a pivotal role in longevity. It also recognized rural living styles and sleep hygiene as potential factors contributing to healthy aging.”

While you might think that genes have the most to do with this – if your parents lived past 100, then maybe you will – the article says the study found that “non-genetic or environmental factors” account for 60 per cent of “successful aging.”

Okay then – what can we do to promote a longer lifespan?

First, the article tells us, is diet.

“A healthy diet, like the Mediterranean diet, along with eating a variety of foods, including milk and grains, helps people live much longer, as seen in centenarians,” the Times reports.

“The study also suggests avoiding smoking and tobacco, as they harm the body in many ways. Smoking increases the risk of premature death but quitting it can reduce this risk. Smoking is injurious to both your mental and physical well-being,” the article continues.

So, eat healthy and get rid of the smokes. What else?

Sleeping, we are told, is very important. “In a study of three European cohorts, individuals without sleep disturbance compared to those with severe sleep disturbance were projected to live six additional years in good health and three more years without chronic diseases between the age of 50 and 75,” the Times notes. “Sleep satisfaction was also found to modulate the link between occupational stress and metabolic syndrome or BMI while both long and short sleep durations were associated with an increased risk of death,” the article states.

Okay, no more late nights and catnaps. Are there other tips?

The research, reports the Times, suggests that those of us taking fewer medications in our older years will live longer.

“On average, centenarians were taking 4.6 medications … versus 6.7 for those aged 80 and above. This lower medication usage may reflect a lower disease prevalence in centenarians,” the article reports.

Finally, the research has found that rural living may also be a factor.

“Over 75 per cent of centenarians lived in rural areas, suggesting that rural lifestyles may contribute significantly to prolonged health and longevity. The study notes that enhancing green spaces, tree canopy and public parks to encourage rural lifestyles may boost life expectancy and postpone epigenetic ageing,” the report concludes.

So, if you’re not already living outside a city, be sure to spend lots of time in healthy rural-type settings like parks.

If you are lucky enough to enjoy a ripe old age, it’s important to take steps to ensure you don’t outlive your savings. Members of the Saskatchewan Pension Plan have the option of converting some or all of their savings to an annuity when it’s time to retire. With an SPP annuity, you will receive a monthly payment on the first day of every month for as long as you live – you’ll never outlive your savings.

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