Longevity: how to live to be 100. Here’s what science really says

But despite this boom in anti-ageing research, Pawel Kordowitzki and Kejun Ying, in a commentary recently published in Aging (part of the Nature group) bring everyone back down to earth, pointing out that it is currently neither possible nor scientifically appropriate to offer evidence-based advice on how to reach the age of 100. At the same time, a multi-omic study by Santos-Pujol and colleagues, published in the same issue of the journal, refutes Cicero’s assertion that ‘old age is in itself a disease’. In short, it is not true that the passing years must necessarily be burdened by endless ailments: a woman, recognised as the world’s oldest person (117 years and 168 days, who passed away in August 2024), overturns this narrative: extreme old age and poor health do not go hand in hand at all. Indeed, those who live the longest tend to be the ones who are in the best health.

The point, therefore, is not how to ‘escape’ ageing, but how to maintain extraordinary resilience against the diseases that normally accompany it. And the recipe – if one can call it that – is not so much about finding a single ‘magic’ genetic switch, but rather about piecing together a puzzle of protective factors that reinforce one another.

It is very important to get off on the right foot. The first factor is genetic: protective variants for the heart, brain, immune system and mitochondria, but also the absence of harmful mutations – rather than merely the presence of the ‘good’ ones. The second is metabolism: keeping chronic inflammation at an all-time low, managing lipids efficiently, populating the gut with ‘rejuvenated’ bacterial flora (probiotics such as bifidobacteria are invaluable) and resetting the epigenetic clock so that it indicates a biological age younger than your chronological age.

Above all, however, we must not overlook healthy lifestyle habits – those shared by all the world’s famous Blue Zones (Okinawa, Ikaria, Sardinia, Nicoya, Loma Linda): diets rich in vegetables, pulses and whole grains, with very little processed food; physical activity not confined to the gym but as part of daily life, such as tending a vegetable patch, walking and not shying away from manual labour; Nobel Laureate in Medicine Shinya Yamanaka, one of the most influential researchers in the field of anti-ageing, for example, sets a good example by going for a jog every morning before shutting himself away in his laboratory. It is no coincidence that many scientists consider muscles to be the organ of longevity. It is also very important to prioritise good sleep hygiene, to cultivate strong social bonds and a strong sense of community, all of which act as a valuable shield against stress (stress, too, ‘causes inflammation’…).

The most fascinating aspect, however, is perhaps this: extreme longevity does not mean postponing ageing. The centenarian mentioned above still exhibited the classic signs of ageing — shortened telomeres, mutations in blood stem cells, and an ‘ageing’ immune system. However, at the same time, her body had retained a series of molecular and functional defences capable of counteracting these effects. In short, a solid balance between wear and tear and protection, rather than eternal youth, such as that achieved by the elderly characters in the film *Cocoon* , by immersing themselves in a pool of alien cocoons. The secret to longevity is not a miraculous elixir of life, but the sum of many small acts of resilience — genetic, metabolic and behavioural — which, taken together, achieve this feat.