Professor says living to 100 is possible with healthy lifestyle

Living to 100 may not be a matter of luck, according to School of Medicine genetics professor Dr. Thomas Perls, who released the results of a study last week indicating that lifestyle, along with genes, can affect a person's likelihood of reaching the century mark.

In addition to being a professor of medicine, Perls is the director of the New England Centenarian Study, which is housed at the BU Medical Campus and studies people who have lived over 100 years, along with their families.

Perls said the NECS has reached some interesting conclusions about why certain people have unusually long life spans.

He said 70 percent of life longevity is determined by a person's environment and 30 percent is determined by genes.

Perls said he and the other doctors and researchers involved in the NECS study worked with not only the centenarians themselves, but also their families.

"We've found that exceptional old age runs extremely strongly in families," he said.

One case involves a woman who was enrolled in the study alongside her mother, both as centenarians. Participant Sarah Knauss died at 119 years old in 1999 and currently holds the record as the world's oldest living person, according to Perls. Her daughter, Kitty, was 97 years old when her mother became involved in the NECS and, a few years following her mother's death, Kitty was admitted to the study as a centenarian, Perls said.

School of Education freshman Emily Mucchetti said she was not sure if she would want to live to be a centenarian.

"It depends on how good shape I was in," she said.

Perls said the centenarians involved in the NECS demonstrate the possibility of living a life that is not only unusually long, but is also extremely full and rewarding.

"Ninety percent of the centenarians were functionally independent at the average age of 92," he said. "So they answer this question of why would anyone want to live to 100. Instead of this idea of the older you get, the sicker you get, these centenarians typify the idea of the older you get, the healthier you've been. ... They're an inspiration, really."

The influence the genetics of aging have on the centenarians' unusually long life spans are a major focus of the study.

"The 'holy grail' for us is what we would call longevity enabling genes or genes that would protect people from things that cause premature mortality," Perls said.

Perls cites changing the public's perception of aging and the elderly as another aim of his study.

"The centenarians do end up having a very positive view of aging," Perls said. "And I think that they and their children can really raise the bar for the rest of us. Instead of people thinking about dying in their 70s they add 20 or more years to that."

Living for a considerably longer time than the Center for Disease Control's average American life expectancy of 77 years is an attainable goal for everyone, according to Perls. Although genetics do play an important role, lifestyle and behavior can considerably alter any genetic predispositions.

"You may need more than just good behaviors to get to 100," he said, "but I think that most of us should be able to get to our mid-to-late eighties."

Perls said having a good attitude and the ability to handle stress well are important elements for living a long life.

"Many of the centenarians are quite optimistic about their aging," he said. "[They] don't take things too seriously when they don't need to."

Exercising and good nutrition are also important in extending life. "I think it's very important to exercise, not only to keep your muscle mass up," Perls said, "but to keep your fat off. Fat is a really important age accelerator."

Avoiding smoking is also a key component of living a long life, Perls said. "Smoking is absolutely a no-no," he said.

SED sophomore Shayna Hersh said her 103-year-old great-grandmother's key to longevity is her stubbornness, but also her ability to stay healthy and make good lifestyle choices.

"I try to fulfill all of those anyway," Hersh said, "but it's hard in college to fulfill any of those."

But, Hersh said she would want to live to be a centenarian only "if I was healthy ... and I wasn't a burden."

Perls said he began his research on aging during his geriatrics fellowship at Harvard Medical School, when he was surprised to find that his oldest patients, the centenarians, were also some of his healthiest patients.

College of Arts and Sciences junior Lisa Umans said she wants to live as long as possible.

"I think being happy is really important [to longevity]," she said. "And I think life is too short already."