Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 25, 2026

Studying Age-dependent Genomic Instability using the S. cerevisiae Chronological Lifespan Model
Published on: September 29, 2011
Learning From Leaders: Life-span Trends in Olympians and Supercentenarians
Juliana da Silva Antero-Jacquemin1, Geoffroy Berthelot2, Adrien Marck2
1Institut de Recherche bioMédicale et d'Epidemiologie du Sport, Institut National du Sport de l'Expertise et de la Performance, Paris, France. Université Paris Descartes, EA 7329, Sorbonne Paris Cité, France. juliana.antero@insep.fr.
Abstract:
Life-span trends progression has worldwide practical implications as it may affect the sustainability of modern societies. We aimed to describe the secular life-span trends of populations with a propensity to live longer-Olympians and supercentenarians-under two hypotheses: an ongoing life-span extension versus a biologic "probabilistic barrier" limiting further progression. In a study of life-span densities (total number of life durations per birth date), we analyzed 19,012 Olympians and 1,205 supercentenarians deceased between 1900 and 2013. Among most Olympians, we observed a trend toward increased life duration. This trend, however, decelerates at advanced ages leveling off with the upper values with a perennial gap between Olympians and supercentenarians during the whole observation period. Similar tendencies are observed among supercentenarians, and over the last years, a plateau attests to a stable longevity pattern among the longest-lived humans. The common trends between Olympians and supercentenarians indicate similar mortality pressures over both populations that increase with age, scenario better explained by a biologic "barrier" forecast.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Longitudinal Research
Mitochondria
The Effect of Aging on Tissues
Life Histories
Life Tables
Replicative Cell Senescence

