Demographers expect the number of centenarians in the US to soar from the 50,000 counted in the 2000 census to 800,000 by midcentury. That is a massive change in the near future. Has everyone been listening to my anti-aging approach?
Centenarians today are real survivors, having persisted through wars, diseases and accidents that kill millions every year. Ordinarily, when considering what makes a 100-year-old so special, those who study aging examine genetics and environmental influences like good nutrition and other health habits.
However, a new statistical study of centenarians by researchers at the University of Chicago has found some other surprising factors associated with extreme longevity. In total, 75 million computerized genealogical records were reviewed at the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, to identify centenarians born from 1875 to 1899.
The interesting factors identified included:
- Women and men who were the first born in large families were two to three times more likely to make it to 100 than later-born children.
- Those raised in the rural West had a better chance of reaching that age.
- People who were born in October and November had longer life expectancy than those born in April through June.
So what’s going on here? The improved chances of first-borns reaching 100 may simply relate to generally being born to relatively young parents. The all important sperm and eggs can become damaged over time, so children of older parents may have more health problems related to genetics. However, this is mere speculation as age of parents was not a studied variable.
Birth month has correlated to life expectancy in other studies. This may be an indication of seasonal vitamin deficiencies or illnesses that affect childhood health, with an impact later in life.
I don’t know anyone recommending adjusting one’s birth order to improve longevity! However, for some excellent anti-aging nutritional support, take a close look at our recommended products for this purpose.