Living to 110 years old and beyond may require more than just healthy living.

When many of us think of our lives and how long we will live, most of us never think we will make it to 100 or more in good health. Some of us may go the distance and then some, but it may require more than eating all the right foods and taking good care of ourselves.

Apparently, there may be more to aging than previously thought, and there is no one gene that will help us extend our lives. On the other hand, there are combinations of genes that may hold the secret to living longer and with fewer health problems as we age according to what researchers are finding.

Find out more about aging in this fascinating article here

Centenarians aren’t your average human beings

Researchers have found that to live for 100 years or more, one needs to possess “the right combination of variations” of the top 281 genes which are strongly associated with extreme old age

Known as Wall Street’s oldest stockbroker, Irving Kahn died this year at the age of 109. He was born in 1905, made his first trade in 1929 before the Great Depression hit and continued to work for years after celebrating his 100th birthday. Remarkably, Kahn and his three siblings all reached the centenarian mark (age 100) while remaining relatively alert, active and healthy.

But as incredibly age-defying as they were, none of the Kahn siblings reached supercentenarian status — 110 years and older — in what appears to be a much harder feat for the human body to accomplish. While the Census Bureau reported about 50,000 centenarians living in the United States in 2010, there are only 50 to 80 supercentenarians in the entire world.

Genes or luck?

So what does it take to live to 110 and beyond? Is it a unique genetic profile, healthy habits or simply the luck of the draw? The answer is far from simple, and probably entails all of the above to some extent. But one thing researchers agree upon: supercentenarians aren’t your average human beings.
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