The 117-Year-Old Secret: Why Living Longest Means Staying Healthiest

A groundbreaking study of the world's oldest validated living person—who reached 117 years and 168 days—reveals that extreme advanced age and poor health are not inherently connected. Instead, people who live longest tend to be the healthiest, suggesting that longevity stems from remarkable resilience against age-related diseases rather than simply escaping aging entirely.

The comprehensive analysis by Santos-Pujol and colleagues examined the individual recognized as the world's oldest person from January 17, 2023, until her death on August 19, 2024. Their findings challenge common assumptions about aging and offer new insights into what makes some people live exceptionally long, healthy lives.

What Makes Supercentenarians Different From the Rest of Us?

The study revealed that longevity isn't controlled by a single biological switch, but rather a combination of protective mechanisms working together. The supercentenarian exhibited several key characteristics that distinguished her from typical aging patterns.

These protective factors included advantageous genetic variants offering neuroprotection, highly efficient mitochondrial function, and strong cardiovascular protection. Most notably, she maintained low levels of inflammation throughout her life, efficient fat metabolism, a healthy gut microbiome similar to much younger people, and DNA methylation patterns that resembled those of individuals decades younger.

Why Do Some People Age Better Than Others?

Recent genetic research provides compelling evidence that centenarians are protected not only by beneficial gene variants but also by the absence of harmful ones. A study by Ying and colleagues demonstrated that individuals achieving exceptional longevity show a significant reduction in rare loss-of-function mutations across their entire genome, suggesting that having fewer genetic "defects" contributes to both resilience and extended healthspan.

The inflammation factor appears particularly crucial. In extreme old age, a protein called interleukin-6 (IL-6) plays a pivotal role in determining health outcomes. Research involving Chinese centenarians found a significant association between specific IL-6 gene variants and exceptional longevity, highlighting how genetic background influences inflammation responses in very old age.

What Can We Learn From Blue Zones and Centenarian Communities?

The research emphasizes that achieving longevity requires integrating insights from multiple sources, including studies of "Blue Zones"—regions like Okinawa, Ikaria, Sardinia, Nicoya, and Loma Linda where people live exceptionally long lives. These communities share several common characteristics that support healthy aging.

• Dietary Patterns: Primarily plant-based diets featuring whole, unprocessed, locally sourced foods, with specific emphasis on foods that support gut health like yogurt
• Physical Activity: Regular movement integrated into daily life rather than structured exercise routines
• Social Connections: Strong family and community bonds that provide emotional support and stress management
• Metabolic Interventions: Natural calorie restriction and limitation of specific nutrients like methionine through dietary choices

The study particularly highlighted the importance of gut health, noting that Bifidobacterium as a probiotic intervention is gaining increasing interest for its ability to slow the progression of numerous age-related disorders.

Animal studies consistently support these findings, showing that calorie restriction and intermittent fasting extend both lifespan and healthspan across species from yeast to monkeys. These interventions work by modulating key nutrient-sensing pathways including AKT, FOXO, mTOR, NAD+, AMPK, and FGF21, reinforcing the metabolic connection to longevity.

Human population studies further confirm that maintaining healthy weight, prioritizing food quality over quantity, and following specific dietary patterns significantly impact longevity. Diets like the Mediterranean, Nordic, Okinawa, DASH, and healthy plant-based patterns are strongly associated with reduced mortality and healthy aging. These approaches typically emphasize fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, and lean proteins while limiting red and processed meats, trans fats, sodium, and sugary beverages.

The research underscores that longevity results from multifactorial resilience involving protective genetics, efficient metabolism, low inflammation, and favorable lifestyle choices. Rather than viewing aging as inevitable decline, this work suggests that the longest-lived individuals maintain remarkable health through the synergistic interplay of biological, environmental, and lifestyle factors.