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2 simple secrets people who live to 100 share
How do you live to 100? Despite what you may have heard, it doesn’t require extreme diets, expensive medical procedures or unusual health rituals.
In fact, some of the most effective ways to improve your odds of hitting 100 seem to be the simplest. Eating a healthy diet will help you live a long and healthy life. Regular exercise will do the same.
But even diet and exercise aren’t the biggest factors for fueling your longevity… at least not according to a new study. This study found that it may be even simpler than eating a Mediterranean diet and going to weekly Zumba classes…
All you have to do is give up one bad habit — smoking (if you are a smoker) — and keep practicing a good habit (that hopefully you already are), which is making plenty of time for fun with friends and family.
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Want to live to 100? Don’t smoke and stay social
Researchers from the University of Otago in New Zealand found that the two most consistent traits among centenarians (people who live to 100) were not smoking and spending plenty of time socializing.
The study included data from 292 centenarians who were healthy and didn’t have any chronic diseases like diabetes, depression, dementia or hypertension. It also included data from 103,377 people over 60.
After looking at different variables associated with living to 100, these researchers uncovered a few interesting pieces of information…
First off, centenarians were most likely to be women… roughly, 75 percent were. That makes sense since women are known to have a longer life span.
They also found that most people — centenarian or not — had a similar level of physical activity. So, all those burpees you’ve been doing won’t necessarily help you hit the 100 mark (at least not based on this data, but there are plenty of other studies that tie exercise to healthy aging).
But of course, the most important finding was that the two factors most significantly associated with making it to your 100th birthday were not smoking and staying involved in social activities. If you ask me, those two variables seem surprisingly simple…
Most people recognize the dangers of smoking and have already quit (or never started) as a result. And unless you’re a hermit who prefers to be alone, you probably enjoy socializing… at least with people you like. So, if these two things will increase your odds of living to 100, you may be in pretty good shape already!
Other ways to increase your odds of living to 100
There’s no denying that there are factors beyond your control that can impact your ability to reach centenarian status — namely, genes.
Genes play a role in longevity, and if you have big genetic burdens to overcome to live a long, healthy life, you may need to go a few steps further than not smoking and setting up a weekly Scrabble night with friends. So, here are a few other research-backed ways to increase your chances of living to 100…
- Reduce inflammation. A 2015 study found that the offspring of centenarians and centenarians themselves have noticeably lower inflammation levels than the rest of us. Unfortunately, inflammation levels continue to increase with age, even in centenarians. But you can keep inflammation at bay with an anti-inflammatory diet that includes things like polyphenol-rich green tea, turmeric, onions, berries, green leafy vegetables, salmon, walnuts and broccoli. Avoiding inflammation-producing foods like dairy, sugar, alcohol and trans fats is important too.
- Stay positive. A 2010 study on centenarians found that a positive mental attitude and the ability to deal with stress is a more important indicator that you will eventually reach your 100th birthday than physical health markers like blood pressure and blood sugar.
- Take good care of your gut. Studies show that compared to centenarians, other older people experience a decrease in butyrate-producing bacteria. You can increase butyrate-producing bacteria by eating resistant starch found in foods like cooked and cooled rice, potatoes, beans, legumes, whole grains, seeds and green bananas.
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Sources:
- Not smoking and being socially active keys to longevity, research shows — MedicalXpress.
- 3 simple rules that can get you to 100 — Easy Health Options.
By Jenny Smiechowski
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