In Italy there is a boom in centenarians, with almost 22 thousand people who blew out 100 candles in 2023.
The " super long-lived ", according to Istat, live in Northern Italy and in Ogliastra: one of the 5 Blue Zones , the areas of the world with the oldest (and healthiest) population. On the Sardinian podium is Perdasdefogu , a town entered in the Guinness Book of Records thanks to its 8 over 100 out of 1740 inhabitants (one every 250) and today under the magnifying glass of scholars who want to know its "secrets". In fact, in the Municipality the centenarians have opened their homes to researchers to carry out a scientific project that aims to explore the profound reasons for living a long time.
The increasing number of centenarians "justifies the entry into common use of the term Fifth Age , starting from the age of 90. If the maximum life expectancy does not seem modifiable - explains Niccolò Marchionni, president of the Italian Society of Geriatric Cardiology - equal to about 120 years, we are however increasing the number of subjects who are approaching that limit". Environment and genetics play an important role . «Genes - Marchionni points out - have an impact of no more than 30%, while lifestyles weigh the rest. First of all, a Mediterranean diet, low in calories, rich in fruit, vegetables and omega 3. Among the conditions that super centenarians have in common is maintaining social relationships, living at home and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle, maintaining continuous moderate physical activity, how to walk".
"The increase in centenarians - adds the president of the Society of Geriatrics Andrea Ungar - demonstrates that, not only is the Italian population aging, but above all that it ages well because those over one hundred years of age usually, up to at least 85 years of age, have been fully active health". Meanwhile, the research reveals news on the genes that protect against the typical diseases of aging. A study on Nature Aging, conducted by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, discovered rare protective genetic variants in the DNA of centenarians: a starting point for developing .
