People who live to 100 all share a ‘superhuman’ ability, scientists discover… could YOU be one of them?

People who live to 100 appear to have a ‘superhuman’ ability to avoid major illnesses, according to new research.

Two large studies of older adults in Sweden have found that centenarians tend to develop fewer diseases, accumulate them more slowly, and in many cases avoid the most deadly age-related conditions altogether—despite living far longer than their peers.

The work, published by an international research team, suggests that exceptional longevity is linked to a distinct pattern of ageing in which illness is delayed or even avoided entirely. 

The findings challenge the widely held belief that a longer life inevitably comes with more years of poor health.

Researchers analysed decades of health records to compare people who reached 100 with those who died earlier but were born in the same years. 

They looked at the timing and number of diagnoses for a wide range of conditions— from strokes and heart attacks to cancers and neurological illness—to see whether centenarians were simply better at surviving disease, or whether they avoided it altogether.

The first study examined health records for 170,787 people born in Stockholm County between 1912 and 1922. 

Participants were tracked for up to 40 years—either from the age of 60 until death, or until they turned 100.

The analysis showed that centenarians not only had lower rates of disease in late-midlife, they maintained this advantage throughout their lives. 

For example, at the age of 85, only four per cent of those who went on to live to 100 had experienced a stroke. 

Among those who died between the ages of 90 and 99, the figure was around 10 per cent. 

Similarly, by the age of 100, just 12.5 per cent of centenarians had experienced a heart attack, compared to more than 24 per cent of those who died in their 80s.

Researchers say this suggests they are not merely surviving serious illness better than others—they are avoiding it for much longer, and sometimes altogether.

However, this study, published in August last year, focused on more serious diagnoses of major diseases. 

To investigate whether the key to longevity might also lie in avoiding less serious conditions, the team conducted a second study, which was published this month.

This analysis included 40 different medical problems, ranging from mild to severe, such as hypertension, heart failure, diabetes and heart attacks.

Researchers examined records for 274,108 people born between 1920 and 1922 and followed them for around 30 years—either from age 70 until death, or until they turned 100. 

Only 4,330 participants – 1.5 per cent—reached the age of 100.

Even when including a wider range of conditions, the findings were consistent: centenarians developed fewer diseases overall, and their rate of disease accumulation was slower across their lifetime. 

Cardiovascular disease was the most common diagnosis across all age groups, but it was significantly less prevalent among centenarians. 

At age 80, only 8 per cent had been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, compared to more than 15 per cent of those who died at 85.

The lower rates of cardiovascular illness appeared central to their extended survival. 

Centenarians also demonstrated greater resilience to neuropsychiatric conditions such as depression and dementia throughout life.

While most centenarians did eventually develop multiple health conditions, this usually occurred much later in life—around the age of 89—and without the sharp health decline seen in non-centenarians during their final years.

By contrast, non-centenarians typically experienced a steep increase in the number of health problems in the last years of their lives. 

This pattern was not observed in those who reached 100, whose health decline was slower and more gradual, even into their 90s.

Writing in The Conversation, Professor Karin Modig, a top epidemiologist at the Karolinska Institutet stated: ‘My research team has found that people that live to 100 seem to possess the superhuman ability to avoid disease.

‘Centenarians are of great interest to scientists because they may hold the key to understanding how we can live longer—and live longer in better health. 

‘The finding that centenarians manage to delay, and in some cases, avoid disease despite living longer is both intriguing and encouraging.  

‘It show it’s possible to age more slowly than is typical—and challenges the common belief that a longer life inevitably comes with more disease.’

The reasons for this resilience remain unclear. It could be due to genetic advantages, healthy lifestyle habits, environmental factors—or a combination of all three. 

The team now plans to investigate which factors are most important, and how they influence health throughout life.

The oldest living person in the world is now believed to be Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas, who was born on June 8, 1908 and is 116 years old.

At the age of 115, Ethel Caterham, from Surrey, is the oldest living person in the UK following the death of 112-year-old Mollie Walker on 22 January 2022.

Ms Caterham, who died in 1997, attributed her longevity to ‘never arguing with anyone, I listen and I do what I like’.

Public figures who have lived to 100 include Hollywood star Kirk Douglas—father of actor Michael Douglas—who died in 2020, aged 103.

Fellow silver screen legend Gloria Stewart—best remembered, now, for playing the older Rose in James Cameron’s 1997 film Titanic—passed away in 2010 at the age of 100.

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother lived to the age of 101—she died in 2002 and was the longest living member of the Royal Family. 

Mary Poppins actor Dick Van Dyke will turn 100 on December 13, 2025. He is currently 99 years old.