What Can Centenarians Teach Us About Healthy Ageing?

What does it take to live to 100?

Researchers around the world are studying people who reach their 100th birthday and beyond, looking for clues about genetics, nutrition, lifestyle and biological resilience.

Some centenarians remain independent into advanced age. Others live with chronic illness or disability. Their diets, experiences and daily routines vary considerably.

There is no single proven secret to exceptional longevity. Reaching 100 reflects a complex interaction between inherited characteristics, environment, healthcare, lifestyle, social circumstances and chance.

But studying long-lived people can help us explore a question that matters at every age: how can we maintain health, strength, connection and independence for as much of life as possible?

What Is a Centenarian?

A centenarian is someone aged 100 or older.

Researchers also use more specific terms:

Reaching an exceptional age does not mean someone has avoided every illness. Researchers study differences in disease, disability and function as well as survival. New England Centenarian Study

Why Age Verification Matters

Reliable longevity research requires reliable ages.

Birth records, family documents and other independent sources help researchers distinguish verified survival from errors or unsupported claims.

Population figures matter too. Counting centenarians without considering the size, migration and history of a population can give a misleading picture.

These checks are especially important when investigating places said to have unusually high concentrations of exceptionally old people. Research on longevity validation

Lifespan vs Healthspan: Living Longer Is Only Part of the Goal

Lifespan describes how long someone lives.

Healthspan generally describes the years spent in relatively good health and function.

A person may live for many years with well-managed health conditions and still enjoy meaningful activities, relationships and independence. Healthy ageing does not require being completely free from disease.

The World Health Organization focuses on maintaining the functional ability that supports wellbeing in older age. That includes a person’s abilities and the environment that helps them use those abilities. WHO: healthy ageing and functional ability

Useful outcomes therefore include:

• Strength and mobility.
• Cognitive function.
• Ability to manage daily activities.
• Participation in relationships and community.
• Comfort, wellbeing and quality of life.

A birthday alone cannot capture all of these.

Why Some Centenarians Seem to Defy Health Advice

Stories about a 105-year-old who smoked or ate an unusual breakfast attract attention.

They do not establish that those habits caused a long life.

This is an example of survivorship bias: we hear from the people who survived, while others with similar habits who died earlier are absent from the story.

Individual outcomes also vary. Genetics, exposures, healthcare and chance can influence how risk develops.

An exceptional survivor does not overturn the wider evidence about smoking or other harmful exposures. Personal stories can be interesting without becoming health instructions.

How Much of Longevity Is Genetic?

Genetics contributes to exceptional longevity, but there is no single gene that determines whether someone will reach 100.

Researchers investigate inherited differences affecting disease susceptibility, metabolism, cellular responses and other processes.

Genetic influences may be particularly relevant at the most exceptional ages. However, estimates vary with the population and methods used, so a simple percentage cannot describe every person.

Having long-lived relatives does not guarantee the same outcome. Equally, lacking a family history of exceptional longevity does not remove the value of healthy habits. Research from the New England Centenarian Study

What Do Centenarians Eat?

There is no universal centenarian diet.

Food traditions differ between countries, generations and households. Even within a long-lived community, people do not eat identical meals.

Popular accounts often highlight vegetables, legumes, staple grains and traditional cooking. Some patterns include fish, dairy, eggs or meat; others contain relatively little animal food.

These observations are useful starting points for research. They cannot establish that one ingredient explains exceptional survival.

For everyday nutrition, it is more practical to ask whether your eating pattern supplies enough food, protein, fibre and essential nutrients than to copy one person’s menu.

Legumes Are a Useful Everyday Food

Beans, lentils and chickpeas can contribute plant protein, fibre and other nutrients.

They are adaptable ingredients for soups, salads, sauces and stews. Their value does not depend on claiming that beans make people live to 100.

Try adding:

• Lentils to a tomato-based sauce.
• Cannellini beans to vegetable soup.
• Chickpeas to a grain bowl.
• Beans to a familiar casserole.

Explore Cooking with Beans, Lentils and Chickpeas: Nourishing Soups, Stews and Everyday Meals for practical ideas.

Do Centenarians Eat Meat?

Some do. Exceptionally long-lived people do not all follow one vegetarian or meat-containing pattern.

There is no established requirement to eat meat—or bone broth—to reach 100.

The practical priority is a dietary pattern that fits your preferences and provides adequate nourishment.

Protein and Muscle Deserve Attention as We Age

Copying a historical diet without considering present-day nutritional needs can be unhelpful.

Protein supports body maintenance, and older adults may need particular attention to intake. Australian guidance recognises higher protein requirements in adults over 70 compared with younger adults. Healthdirect: healthy eating over 60

Useful protein foods include eggs, dairy, fish, meat, tofu, tempeh and legumes.

Our guide to Protein Throughout Life: Why Your Protein Needs Change With Age explains how food choices and requirements can evolve.

Being Lighter Is Not Always Better

Weight alone does not show whether someone is strong, well nourished or physically capable.

Poor appetite and unintentional weight loss deserve attention, particularly when accompanied by weakness or declining function.

Australian dietary guidance encourages older people to eat nutritious foods and remain active to support muscle strength and a healthy weight. Eat for Health: healthy eating when you’re older

For practical support, read Eating Well After 60: Making Every Meal Count.

What Role Can Soups and Broths Play?

Soups and stews provide a convenient way to combine vegetables, legumes, grains and protein foods.

For people who consume animal products, Broth & Co bone broth powders and concentrates can add savoury flavour to these meals. Their protein contribution depends on the product and amount used.

Bone broth has not been demonstrated to reproduce centenarian biology or extend human lifespan.

Build a substantial meal around it. For example:

• Chicken, vegetable and barley soup.
• Lentil and tomato stew.
• A white bean and vegetable casserole.
• Rice with vegetables and a suitable protein food.

The vegetables, legumes and grains contribute fibre and other nutrients that broth alone does not provide.

Explore our Vegetable Forward Soups and Broths.

What Are Blue Zones?

“Blue Zones” refers to places identified or popularised for exceptional longevity.

Frequently discussed examples include:

• Sardinia, Italy.
• Okinawa, Japan.
• Ikaria, Greece.
• Nicoya, Costa Rica.

The popular concept also includes Loma Linda, California, associated with research involving Adventist populations. Its research background differs from that of geographically defined demographic longevity zones.

Are Blue Zones Scientifically Proven?

Two separate questions matter:

1. Is exceptional longevity reliably documented in the population?
2. Which factors, if any, caused that longevity?

Demographic research can address the first question through age verification and population analysis. A 2025 paper defended the validation methods used in classic Blue Zones.

That does not settle the second question. Even a verified concentration of long-lived people cannot establish that a particular food, social custom or routine caused their survival. The Gerontologist: Blue Zones demography

Historical patterns may also change as populations and environments change.

Blue Zones are useful subjects for investigation, rather than controlled experiments showing how anyone can live to 100.

Can We Copy a Blue Zone Lifestyle?

We can borrow appealing practices without assuming they recreate an entire environment.

A traditional community’s experience may reflect:

• Food availability and preparation.
• Daily movement and occupation.
• Family and social structures.
• Healthcare access.
• Income and housing.
• Environmental exposures.
• Genetics and migration.

Eating a bean stew does not reproduce all those conditions.

It can still be a useful meal. Walking to local shops or sharing food with friends can also be worthwhile without attaching a longevity guarantee.

Movement Supports Everyday Capacity

Regular physical activity has established health benefits independent of centenarian stories.

Movement can include walking, gardening, swimming, cycling, household activities and adapted exercise.

Older adults also benefit from attention to strength and balance. WHO guidance includes muscle-strengthening activity and varied activities that challenge balance and support function, adjusted to individual ability. WHO physical activity recommendations

Why Strength Matters

Strength supports tasks such as:

• Getting up from a chair.
• Carrying groceries.
• Climbing steps.
• Maintaining balance.
• Participating in hobbies.

Resistance bands, weights, body-weight exercises and appropriately adapted functional movements can provide a training stimulus.

If illness, pain or mobility limitations make activity difficult, an appropriately qualified professional can help adapt it.

Social Connection and a Sense of Purpose

Relationships and meaningful activities can provide enjoyment, practical help and reasons to stay engaged.

They may also support routines such as preparing meals, getting outdoors or attending appointments.

However, observational associations require care. Better health can make participation easier, while illness, hearing loss, bereavement or transport barriers can reduce opportunities.

There is no scientifically established friendship quota or “purpose score” that guarantees longer life.

The useful aim is connection that suits your circumstances: a regular call, shared meal, community activity, creative interest or volunteering role. National Institute on Aging: healthy ageing

Learning and engagement also feature in research on Cognitive Reserve and Brain Health, although reserve and longevity are different outcomes.

What Does Centenarian Biology Reveal?

Researchers study immune regulation, metabolism, cellular maintenance and the gut microbiome to understand exceptional survival.

Inflammation and Immunity

Ageing can involve changes in inflammatory activity, sometimes described as inflammageing.

Inflammation also has essential roles in defence and repair. It is not something the body should eliminate entirely.

A longitudinal study of exceptionally old adults linked inflammatory measures with aspects of survival and function. This does not establish that suppressing inflammation with a food or supplement extends life. Arai and colleagues

The Gut Microbiome

A study of Japanese centenarians identified distinctive microbial pathways involved in producing certain bile acids.

The findings generated important questions, but they do not establish that those microbes caused exceptional longevity or that a probiotic could reproduce it. Sato and colleagues, Nature

Diet, medication, geography and health can all affect microbial patterns. There is no established “centenarian microbiome” that consumers need to recreate.

Do Centenarians Avoid Illness Until the End of Life?

Some exceptionally long-lived people delay major disease or disability until advanced age. Others live with health conditions for many years.

Researchers use compression of morbidity to describe illness and disability being concentrated into a shorter period towards the end of life.

Centenarian studies investigate this possibility, but it does not describe everyone. Reaching 100 and remaining independent until 100 are different outcomes. New England Centenarian Study

A Practical Day of Eating

Rather than treating one traditional menu as a formula, use familiar meals to provide variety and adequate nourishment.

Adjust portions and textures to appetite, activity and individual needs.

For manageable meals, explore Easy Recipes for Eating Well After 60: Nourishing Meals for One or Two.

What Can You Apply Without Chasing Longevity Trends?

Focus on actions that support daily health:

• Eat enough and include a variety of foods.
• Maintain strength and move regularly.
• Address persistent sleep difficulties.
• Avoid smoking.
• Manage blood pressure, diabetes and other conditions with your healthcare team.
• Keep meaningful relationships and activities in your life.
• Seek advice about poor appetite, unintentional weight loss or declining function.

These priorities support healthy ageing without promising a particular lifespan. National Institute on Aging

Access, disability, finances and caring responsibilities affect what is possible. Healthy ageing is not simply a test of personal discipline.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Secret to Living to 100?

There is no single proven secret. Exceptional longevity reflects interacting influences, including genetics, environment, healthcare, lifestyle and chance.

Is Longevity Mostly Genetic?

Genetics matters, particularly in exceptional longevity, but there is no fixed percentage that explains every person’s lifespan. Healthy habits remain worthwhile regardless of family history.

Do Centenarians Follow One Diet?

No. Their diets vary across cultures and individuals. A universal “centenarian diet” has not been established.

Does Bone Broth Help You Live Longer?

Bone broth can be a useful cooking ingredient, but it has not been established as a lifespan-extending intervention.

Are Blue Zones Evidence That Particular Habits Cause Longevity?

No. Verified longevity observations and proof of lifestyle causation are different things.

Can Supplements Help Me Reach 100?

No supplement guarantees exceptional longevity. Supplements may be appropriate for specific deficiencies or medical needs, but biomarker changes are not proof of longer human life.

Does Walking Replace Strength Exercise?

Walking is useful activity, but strength and balance deserve attention too. Choose an appropriate combination for your health and abilities.

Does Developing Illness Mean Healthy Habits Failed?

No. Health is influenced by many factors outside individual control. Habits can improve probabilities and support wellbeing without preventing every illness.

The Takeaway: Learn From the Patterns, Keep the Perspective

Centenarians provide valuable clues about human ageing. Their lives also show how varied the routes to exceptional survival can be.

Observing a habit among people who reached 100 does not prove it caused their longevity.

The practical lesson is to support the abilities and relationships that make everyday life meaningful: adequate nourishment, strength, movement, connection and appropriate healthcare.

These priorities remain worthwhile at any age, without requiring a promise about how long you will live.

References

• New England Centenarian Study
• The genetics of extreme longevity
• WHO: Healthy ageing and functional ability
• The Gerontologist: The validity of Blue Zones demography
• WHO: Physical activity recommendations
• Healthdirect: Healthy eating over 60
• Eat for Health: Healthy eating when you’re older
• Arai and colleagues: Inflammation and ageing at exceptional ages
• Sato and colleagues: Bile-acid pathways in centenarian microbiomes
• National Institute on Aging: What do we know about healthy ageing?

This article provides general information and does not replace personalised medical or dietetic advice. Seek individual guidance before making substantial dietary or exercise changes if you have medical conditions or nutritional concerns.