What can help you live up to 100 years

London, May 1
Tracking 855 Swedish men born in 1913, researchers have come to the conclusion that refraining from smoking, maintaining healthy cholesterol levels and having not more than four cups of coffee a day can help you live to 100.

Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg have followed the health of 855 men for the past 50 years.

The first surveys were conducted in 1963. Now that it has been determined that ten of the men lived to 100, the study is being wrapped up and the researchers believe that conclusions can be drawn about the secrets to their longevity.

"The unique design has enabled us to identify the factors that influence survival after the age of 50," said Lars Wilhelmsen, who has been involved in the study for the past 50 years.

"Our recommendation for people who aspire to centenarianism is to refrain from smoking, maintain healthy cholesterol levels and confine themselves to four cups of coffee a day," Wilhelmsen noted.

It also helps if you paid a high rent for a flat or owing a house at age 50 (indicating good socio-economic standard), enjoy robust working capacity at a bicycle test when you are 54 and have a mother who lived for a long time, the study pointed out.

"Our findings that there is a correlation with maternal but not paternal longevity are fully consistent with a previous studies," Wilhelmsen said.

Various surveys at the age of 54, 60, 65, 75, 80 and 100 permitted the researchers to consider the factors that appear to promote longevity.

A total of 27 percent (232) of the original group lived to the age of 80 and 13 percent (111) to 90. All in all, 1.1 percent of the subjects made it to their 100th birthday.

The findings appeared in the Scandinavian Cardiovascular Journal.