‘SuperAgers’ have optimal brains well into their 80s. Can you become one?

Some people have won the longevity lottery—they are among the lucky few known as SuperAgers . In a relatively new field, researchers are examining what contributes to people in their 80s and 90s having stronger brain power than their peers. Many are wondering if those findings can be distilled into a longevity routine or pill to help everyone become a SuperAger.

Is it possible to increase your odds of becoming a SuperAger? “It’s not inevitable that we will become disabled and sick as we get older. What we’re learning from these unique individuals is that it is biologically plausible for us to live long and healthy,” says Dr. Sofiya Milman, the director of the Human Longevity Studies at Einstein’s Institute for Aging Research and the lead investigator of the SuperAgers Family Study , which has enrolled 550 SuperAgers since 2022.

“Once we know what causes longevity, that it’s not a disease, we can then create therapies that will promote that biological longevity, and ultimately, that’s the goal of what we’re doing.” What is a SuperAger? There isn’t a single definition of a SuperAger. According to the SuperAgers Family Study funded by the American Federation for Aging Research, anyone over 95 years old who has a healthy cognitive capacity and the capabilities to consent to the study is considered a SuperAger.

Researchers at the SuperAging Research Initiative at Northwestern define it as anyone in their 80s or 90s who has the brain capacity of someone in t.