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The different paths to age one hundred.

Thomas Perls1

  • 1Geriatrics Section, New England Centenarian Study, Department of Medicine, Boston University Medical Center, Robinson 2400, 88 East Newton Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA. thperls@bu.edu

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|January 3, 2006
PubMed
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Reaching 100 years old is uncommon, not due to rare individual factors, but the infrequent combination of genetic and behavioral elements necessary for extreme longevity. Achieving centenarian status requires a unique confluence of protective elements.

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Genetics
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Centenarianism, or reaching 100 years, is a rare demographic event in industrialized nations.
  • The rarity of centenarians suggests underlying factors influencing extreme longevity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the reasons behind the rarity of individuals attaining 100 years of age.
  • To investigate whether the rarity stems from rare individual factors or the combination of factors.

Main Methods:

  • This study is a conceptual analysis based on existing demographic and genetic data.
  • It examines the distribution and interaction of genetic polymorphisms and environmental exposures associated with longevity.

Main Results:

  • The rarity of centenarians is attributed not to the scarcity of individual longevity-promoting factors (genetic or behavioral).

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  • Instead, the infrequent occurrence is due to the low probability of possessing the necessary combination of these factors simultaneously.

    • Conclusions:

    • Extreme longevity is a complex trait influenced by the interplay of multiple genetic and environmental elements.
    • The rarity of centenarians highlights the improbability of the specific combination of factors required for exceptional lifespan.