KEYC - Mankato News, Weather, Sports - - How to live to be 100 years old

By Greg Breining
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Frenchman Robert Marchand recently rode 24.251 kilometers -- or about 15 miles -- in one hour on an indoor track, a feat recognized by the International Cycling Union as a world record for his age. Marchand is 100.

What can the rest of us learn from centenarians like Marchand, who not only live long, but well? What can we do to prolong life and health? Is it ever too late to change?

"The ability to survive to extreme old age appears to be the result of a complex combination of genetics, environment, lifestyle and luck," says Thomas T. Perls, associate professor of medicine who studies aging at the Boston University School of Medicine.

Marchand provides a good example. Women generally outlive men, and make up 85 percent of centenarians. But the men who live past 100 are generally healthier and get around better -- as though only the most fit survive -- according to the New England Centenarian Study.

Marchand didn't talk about his family, but many centenarians have long-lived siblings, parents and grandparents. In the New England study, researchers found genetics plays a bigger role as age increases past 100. Researchers estimate exceptionally long life is 20 to 30 percent genetic.

That leaves 70 to 80 percent of longevity factors that you might still be able to do something about.

Conscientiousness

Marchand told reporters he always follows medical advice and carefully monitors his heart rate. He limits his rides to 100 kilometers, or about 62 miles.

According to Howard S. Friedman and Leslie R. Martin, authors of "The Longevity Project", the best personality predictor of a long life is conscientiousness. A conscientious person is more likely to tend to his health. And the trait corresponds to less disease, perhaps for physiological reasons.

Other researchers have found that neuroticism, especially the tendency to find a dark cloud in every silver lining, predicted worse health and shorter life.

Healthy Habits

Marchand boasts he never smoked and didn't drink much.

That puts him in league with long-livers in the New England study. Few smoked much. Few were obese. Men especially were almost always thin. Obesity is associated with life-shortening diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and even dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, in later life.

Working Long and Hard

If Marchand did anything to excess, he says, it was work. He didn't retire until age 89.

According to Friedman and Martin, people who work hard at a job they like, even if it is stressful, are likely to live longer than people who stick to a job they don't like. Brain imaging shows lifetime mental stimulation, such as reading and writing, may delay or prevent the onset of Alzheimer's.

Active Life

As a young man Marchand was a boxer, gymnast and weightlifter. He still works out daily.

Regular activity is one of the best things people can do to live longer and stay healthy. University of Pittsburgh researchers found that masters athletes in their 60s, 70s and 80s maintained nearly the leg strength of athletes in their 40s. Loss of strength is a function of inactivity, not aging, they found.

Other studies indicate exercise staves off mental deterioration. Muscle strength in arms and legs correlates with reduced risk of mild cognitive decline and Alzheimer's. Exercise moderated the effect of a genotypic variation associated with Alzheimer's. Physical conditioning improved performance of drivers over 70.

Strong Social Network

Marchand has been an active member of his local cycling club. The social contact may be as important as the biking. A strong social network is the strongest predictor of long life, Friedman and Martin say. And among New England centenarians, extraversion is a key trait.

Good Health

Marchand acknowledges his good fortune in having had no major health problems. "The older an individual gets, the healthier he or she has been," Perls says. Indeed, about 15 percent of the 100-plus club are "escapers" without mortality-associated disease.

Even so, about 42 percent of centenarians are "survivors" who recovered from a serious disease before age 80. Another 43 percent are "delayers", who recovered after age 80. So if you've dodged a bullet, you may still live to 100.

View the original Live Long, Live Well article on myOptumHealth.com