"I never gave it a thought," she said. "Right now, like I say, I dont feel as old as I am. As far as age, I never bothered about it because everyone thought I was younger than I am. Strachan is what experts in the field of ageing call a winner in the longevity lottery. She fits the age profile for major factors asssociated with extreme age: favourable genetics, a healthy lifestyle and a positive attitude.

Researchers have spent decades looking at what make centenarians like strachan tick. What they've found has far reaching implications even for those of us who won't reach 100. While some factors relating to longevity cant be controlled,studies suggest that adopting healthy habits can improve quality of life and reduce healthcare costs at any age.

Controlling costs linked to chronic illness will become ever more critical as baby boomers fce the challenges of ageing, whilst their grandchildren stand by to pick up the tab. Prominent longevity studies - including those of Dr Brad Willcox, a Hawaii based principal researcher in the long running Okinawa Centenarian Study - show that most centenarians enjoy a quality of life enviable at any age, and Strachan is no exception. She lived on her own until she was 94, she rarely needs a doctor and while she complains about "slowing down" and she still enjoys activities at the retirement centre, including the weekly happy hour. She is sound of mind, up to date with current events and is computer literate.

Centenarians are also notable for their sheer breadth of human experience. In 1907, when Strachan was born, Henry Ford had yet to introduce the Model T, penicillin had not been developed for use, and television was unheard of. Barry Johnson, director of Kitsap County Ageing and Long-Term Care, said that younger people could learn much from such centenarians. "People recognise, when they look back over a 100 year span, that we're truly living in a completely different world," Johnson said. "People innately understand there's a wealth of knowledge and wisdom there."

Dorothy Yarborough turned 102 in May. She thrives on fried chicken, Oreo cookies and M&Ms, and she doesn't care much for exercise. People like Yarborough who don't exactly fit the centenarian profile crop up now and then, and Willcox has an explanation. Among the six factors that determine longevity - genetics, diet, activity, 'psychospiritual factors', social factors (such as access to health care and pure chance) - Yarborough probably has an ace up her sleeve.

"When she was dealt her deck of six cards, she probably had a really good one, like an ace, for genes," Willcox said. "Her hand was pretty good." In most case however, a healthy lifestye is "at least half the battle," Willcox said.

The Okinawa Study, begun in 1975, documents the lives of more than 1000 residents of the Japanese island. Geographic isolation and unified culture make Okinanawa the perfect labatory for such study. Among the entire population, which takes a sparing approach to food, there is less 90 percent less coronary artery disease than in the wider world, a third less incidence of cancer, and breast cancer is unheard of.

Okinawa elders in the largely agrarian society stay active through their old age. The community has no word for retirement. But it's not just activity for activity's sake, Willcox said. His subjects have a strong sense of purpose. "They just have a lot of life to live," Willcox said. "They don't tend to dwell on things. They tend to let things bounce off their backs." Johnson has seen it in the extreme elders he works with. "They accept challenges, deal with them and move on," he said.

Centenarians in Western culture also exhibit the free spirited sensibilities that pervade in Okinawan society. The worldwide increase in Centenarians is directly linked to better health care that kicked in mid-20th century, Willcox said. But the marvels of modern civilisation have been both a blessing and a curse.

Unlike today's centenarians, many baby boomers and their offspring are showing the effects of sedentary work, much of it in front of computer screens. "Looking at the ones who are seventy now, are they going to make it to one hundred? I don't know," Willcox said. "We're all obese; we're all stressed out, so I'm wondering what is going to happen to future generations."

What does the future hold for up-and-coming centenarians? Experts say that depends on our ability to change both lifestyles and attitudes.

Sourced from SHNS July 11, 2009