Researchers have found biomarkers which best indicate a person’s chance of living to 100.
Karin Modig, a senior lecturer at Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet, said those who wished to live to 100 could not rely on luck.
Ms Modig said it was essential to keep biomarkers associated with ageing and disease in check, but warned by the age of 60, it may already be too late.
She said it was possible to predict who had the greatest chance of becoming very old, during early ageing.
“By looking at known biomarkers previously associated with ageing and disease, we found that the centenarians had better health than their peers already in their 60s.”
Ms Modig said all but two of 12 biomarkers of more than 44,000 people involved in the study, could be linked to increased chances of reaching 100 years.
She said low iron levels reduced the chance, as did low total cholesterol, which could be a marker of disease processes in the body.
“Four of the biomarkers stood out as particularly important,” Ms Modig said.
“Creatinine levels, which indicate kidney health, were almost always normal at age 60 in those who lived to 100.
“The same was true for liver markers and uric acid levels, a marker for inflammatory processes.”
She said individuals with the lowest uric acid levels had a four percent chance of living to 100, while those with the highest levels had a 1.5 percent chance.
“Blood sugar levels were also rarely above 6.5 mmol/litre.”
Ms Modig said the results suggested that it may be possible to increase one’s chances of living to 100 by changing your lifestyle.
“At the same time, life is not about living according to an algorithm; everyone must find a balance between risk factors and health factors,’ she said.
