Scientists Discover the Secret to Living to 100

Kokcha News Agency: Two extensive studies conducted in Sweden have shown that people who live to 100 have a markedly lower risk of chronic diseases. The findings, published in the journal *The Lancet Healthy Longevity*, suggest that these individuals experience fewer health problems throughout their lives, accumulate diseases more slowly, and in many cases, completely avoid fatal age-related illnesses.

The research, led by an international team, indicates that exceptional longevity may be linked to a unique aging pattern where diseases are delayed or prevented. This challenges the conventional belief that “longer life means more disease.”

In the first study, health records of over 170,000 individuals born in Stockholm between 1912 and 1922 were analyzed. Participants were followed for up to 40 years, from age 60 until their death or until they reached 100. The results showed that only 4% of those who lived to 100 had suffered a stroke, compared to around 10% of those who died in their 80s. Similarly, heart attack rates were lower among centenarians (12.5%) compared to those who died in their 80s (over 24%).

Following this study, the research team expanded their analysis to include a broader range of diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart failure. They examined the health histories of 274,000 individuals born between 1920 and 1922 over a 30-year period. Only 1.5% (4,330 people) of the participants lived past 100.

The results were consistent: Centenarians were diagnosed with fewer diseases throughout their lives, and health problems accumulated much more slowly. Cardiovascular disease rates remained low, with only 8% of centenarians diagnosed by age 80, compared to over 15% of those who died in their 80s.

The study also found that those who lived past 100 were more resistant to neuropsychiatric conditions like depression and dementia. Most of them only began to experience multiple health problems in their late 90s.

Professor Karin Modig, in her analysis for *The Conversation*, stated, “People who live past 100 seem to have a superhuman ability to avoid diseases. Our findings show that longer life does not necessarily mean more illness.”

Scientists believe this resilience may be due to a combination of genetic factors, healthy lifestyle habits, and environmental influences. The research team aims to identify which of these factors are most critical in determining exceptional longevity.