The number of centenarians around the world rose from to 573,000 in 2021. People are living longer, and we can expect to see more people reach 100 in the years to come. Centenarians , often experiencing and maintaining independence in daily life well into their 90s.
While to longevity, modifiable factors account for more than 60% . But what sort of factors specifically contribute to living to 100? To find out, we reviewed lifestyle and health habits of and near-centenarians (those aged 95–99) worldwide. Our included 34 published since 2000.
Here are four key factors we found contribute to extreme longevity. 1. A diverse diet with controlled salt intake Centenarians and near-centenarians typically had a balanced and diverse diet.
We found, on average, they consumed between 57% and 65% of their energy intake from carbohydrates, 12% to 32% from protein, and 27% to 31% from fat. Their diets included (such as rice and wheat), fruits, vegetables, and protein-rich foods like poultry, fish and legumes, with moderate red meat consumption. This dietary pattern, similar to the , is linked to lower risks of and .
Most centenarians also preferred a low-salt diet. While only one study in our review measured the mean daily sodium intake, finding 1.6 grams, this was within the recommendation of less than 2g of sodium per day (equivalent to about 5g of salt).
The , known for its consumption by Japanese centenarians on Okinawa Island, contains an estimated 1.1g of sodium. We found higher sal.