4,330 Centenarians Share Two Traits
Revisting Lifespan vs. Healthspan
Last week’s top headline in aging and gerontology news covered the results of a study following more than 4,000 centenarians over a span of thirty years. The research was conducted by Sweden's Karolinska Institutet (KI). While KI may not be widely known in North America, it is consistently ranked among the top 50 universities worldwide and recognized as one of the top 10 medical universities in Europe. (And no, I didn’t have those facts rattling around in my head. I had to research it.)
Karolinska Institute is best known globally as the university that awards the Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology. Nobel Assembly, composed of its professors, performs the important task of selecting the laureates who have made the most significant contributions to humankind in medical science. Alfred Nobel bestowed this honor to KI in his will.
One BIG caveat to keep in mind is that the study is of Swedish centenarians not Americans. The culture, diet, climate, lifestyle and population of 10.7 million impact their outcomes. The United States has an estimated 347 million people as the third most populated country after India and China along with a different culture.
The author of the study explained there was not one specific factor contributing to people living to be 100 in Sweden, "However, having a healthy cardiovascular system and maintaining a positive outlook on life—feeling a sense of purpose—does seem to be a common pattern."
The Happy Hundred Club
In 2024, the U.S. Census Bureau and Pew Research Center estimated 101,000 centenarians living in the United States. That number is estimated to quadruple over the next two decades.
This Spring an Indianapolis local news station highlighted a woman celebrating her 103rd birthday with a party at home. Several generations were gathered and she appeared animated introducing her great-grandchildren. The woman explained she is still active with her neighborhood group and her TV interview was inspiring.
This weekend, I was a guest at an Indianapolis fundraiser attended by Barbara Boyd, a former local news anchor. While I don’t know her personally, she appeared vibrant, upbeat, and stylish at the event. At 96 years old, the former Evanston, IL native was featured on a Chicago network in July for going viral on social media at a fashion show earlier this year.
She was honored by Evanston Township High School, her alma mater, and was a two-time recipient of Indiana’s Sagamore of the Wabash Award. (It is one of Indiana highest civilian honors presented by the Governor.) In 2023, Boyd received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Indiana Senate. Indianapolis Monthly Magazine featured her in their 50 Over 50 issue this summer. Even though she’s not a centenarian yet, longevity runs in her family. Her mother lived to be 103.
Not Everyone Wants to Live to Become 100
Living to be a centenarian is not a goal of everyone and I appreciate that sentiment too. This relates to the February 15th blog post, Is Exercise the Secret to Aging Well? and the concepts of lifespan and healthspan.
Healthspan is the part of a person’s life when they are generally in good health. Lifespan is the length of time a person lives.
I frequently visited my great-aunt, Ella Mae, living her torturous final years in a nursing home. She had a feeding tube, an IV stand, and high-tech mattress to prevent bed sores. They ravaged her anyway. Thankfully, she didn’t live to be a centenarian in that condition—although she did live the last five years of life in what she called, “jail.”
It was made worse (in my opinion) because she knew what was going on around her. Auntie liked her television on 24/7 and somehow, she had a private room, which she appreciated. Three times she was placed in hospice care with two weeks or less to live. Three times she survived and recovered.
She missed eating fried chicken from KFC, she missed going to church, she missed driving (btw-she was a terrible driver), and she missed being able to go outside except in an ambulance for a trip to the hospital. I wouldn’t wish her final years on anyone.
From a lifespan perspective, she lived 90 years, 1913-2003. From a healthspan, perspective the first 85 years of her life, she was active, vibrant, and very generous to everyone she met. Today, my family laughs remembering when she lost her keys at every family event. She would accuse us of hiding them so she couldn’t drive. Eventually they would be found in sofa cushion and she would speed off down the interstate!
Her 80th birthday party was at Alf’s Pub on Halsted Street in Harvey, IL. Auntie Ella Mae came strutting in with a bright red coat & hat. She had her hat tipped to the side with bright red lipstick and a smile that radiated, she knew she looked good. (I looked through all my photo archives to share that photo with you and can’t find it.) That birthday party smile is how I choose to remember my Auntie.
“To live in the hearts we leave behind is not to die.” Thomas Campbell (1777-1844)