Centenarians learn to live longer and better

by Elinor Nuxoll

In the Lansing, Michigan, State News, Physician Tom Perls tells how to live 100 years or more. Perls is an expert on reserach , and the medical director of the Boston Medical Center, the largest social study of people 100 years old, or older, He says Jeannne Camert of
France lived to be 122.

The Medical Center has 1,600 centerarians in their studies, and 15 super-centerarians (110 plus).

A common misunderstanding that is the older you get, the sicker you become. They found centenarians are living longer better. A group of Seventh Day Adventists in California has the highest life expectancy in the United States. They don't smoke, don't drink or eat red meat. They exercise, they socialize with others, and men are able reach 86 or women 89, but many of them reach 100 or more years.

The thought of living happily to age 100 became popular when Dan Buettner's book, "The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest" became a best-seller in 2008. The "Blue Zones" included Okinawans, Mediterraneans and Costa Ricans who eat a diet with lots of vegetables. limited meat, fats, and sweets, who drink plenty of fresh water, and work hard on their farms, ot get plenty of walking and exercise.

In 2010, another book by Buettner - "Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way" was on best-seller lists and was featured on the Oprah Winfrey show. Dan Buettner is an internationally recognized researcher, explorer and writer for National Geographic magazine. He
has told more than 500 audiences his secrets of the best practces in health, happiness and longevity.

Recently 40 seniors in Taiwan, ages 100 through 114, shared their tips for longevity through a photo exhibit that was schedued to run at a Culture Center. The clean air and less-polluted environment in the mountains where they live might explain their longevity.

Researchers at the New England Centenarian Study have found that 70 percent of longevity has to do with environmental factors. The other 30 percent is generic.

Whether from lifestyle or genetics, centerarians are the fastest growing segment of U.S. population and by 2035 their number could reach 100,000.

In a poll by United Healthcare of one hundred centenarians, it was found at some point in their lives they learned to eat well, limit their alcohol intake, and to avoid smoking. They started to exercise and to manage the stress in their lives.

Half of the centenarians advise people to spend time with their families. These folks are saying they volunteer and they think about leaving a legacy.

They continue to have a purpose for living.

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