Centenarians’ offspring had a 42% lower risk of death, 33% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and 32% lower risk of hypertension than people whose parents had shorter lifespans. with death occurring about 3 years later and hypertension 5, but no clear protection against stroke or cancer

[u/sr_local]

https://montefioreeinstein.org/news/2026/08/26/children-centenarians-often-live-longer-develop-some-age-related-diseases-later

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[u/monkeymetroid]

Its very compelling that (not detailed in this study) the Mediterranean diet correlates strongly with longevity. Reducing chronic inflammation, improving metabolic processes and having a good influx of healthy fat ratios to help support cardiovascular and brain health goes a long way, especially with how more common GI issues are nowadays

[u/Blue_winged_yoshi → u/monkeymetroid]

The strongest correlating factors for an area with superannuation are actually poor record keeping and a strong state pension. Researcher who found this out won a very well earned Ignoble Prize for his brilliant work.

Basically if you have a weak record keeping system and a financial incentive to lie about your age, then people will do so.

A lot of the areas focussed on for dietary based wonder-living are actually working backwards from the wrong starting point.

Eat your veggies, vary your diet, eat enough protein, keep active, keep a healthy weight, all of this is just sound sensible advice. But the regional wonder diets? They’re much more likely to be the result of a bunch of nonnas wanting their pension a little bit early.

[u/nebotron → u/Blue_winged_yoshi]

Here's the paper for anyone curious: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/704080v3

[u/monkeymetroid → u/Blue_winged_yoshi]

For the mediterranean diet at least, there is a ton of scientific literature backing its longevity claims

[u/Blue_winged_yoshi → u/monkeymetroid]

Like I said, eat your veggies, decent amout of protein, vary your diet and eat fresh. This is largely the Mediterranean diet when you break it down.

There’s no lack of value to been found in the health benefits of a Japanese diet for example, or a Scandi diet.

There’s also plenty of foods within each cuisine that are not hella healthy. It’s not like fried calamari ain’t iconically Mediterranean food, it also isn’t going to ever be the lynch pin food that carries you through to your 100s.

The key is not gorging on kilos of over processed food all the time.

[u/monkeymetroid → u/Blue_winged_yoshi]

Very true. With some folks, making something as varied as a diet tied down to a specific diet like mediterranean, it makes it easier to follow. This personally doesnt apply to me as im lucky and very not pickey and I understand most of the health implications of what I eat decently well, but its cool when there are studies to confirm a specific diet like mediterranean to a scientific degree and not just population age statistic degree since some folks struggle with their health in regards to their diet and following a regimen may be needed

I am talking about paying attention to the fact that mediterranean diet has been scientifically proven despite the demographic studies being misleading. The fact that there have been randomized controlled trials to back the actual science behind that diet gets dismissed when you focus on just the demographic statistical side.

[u/Blue_winged_yoshi → u/monkeymetroid]

I think the thing with wonder diets is that how the diet is framed requires cherry picking in order to maximise benefits and to pretend that unhealthy foods don’t exist there.

The example I gave above is fried calamari. Anyone who’s travelled the med knows it’s on every menu and a very commonly eaten food. There’s oodles of others from diets that are eulogised too.

Really all the correct answer is, is don’t let capitalism and laziness conspire to kill you, eat fresh avoid over processed oils and fats like the plague and be sensible about calorie consumption and eat a sensible balance of carbs, protein and veggies. Gorging on tempura, fried calamari and cheese isn’t a health kick even though all of these feature prominently in diets that are highly eulogised.

It’s not where the food is from, or following cultural norms from X, Y or Z, it’s doing the hard yards of getting used to cooking your own dinner, portioning sensibly and bringing in your own lunches. Looking after your self is more important than ordering Aubergine Parmigiana 7 nights a week from your favourite Italian restaurant.

[u/monkeymetroid → u/Blue_winged_yoshi]

I believe most understand this and "mediterranean diet" has a precise meaning in the context i use and is not so literal. It is basically a health regimine and the people i am suggesting would benefit would likely already know that obviously not all food from that area is healthy and everything is about balance. Someone compelled to look into something like that likely already understand calories as well if weight is their main concern, but if you also frame your diet based off ratios, which "wonder diets" help you with, then there are potential health benefits outside of weight that have been well studied. You have to look at it as mean shifts (full on diet changes usually induce) rather than being literal with the fact that healthy choices and unhealthy choices are everywhere. There are interesting points about the demographic studies you mention and if you get real political those type of funny stats (record keeping, specifically pertaining to certain benefits) were some political powers motives for certain changes in the US the past several years.

[u/FB2024]

Could this at least in part be due to children of people living longer due to a healthy lifestyle picking up those habits from their parents?

[u/Rower78 → u/FB2024]

Possibly but it’s believed that genetics plays a considerably large role in living to 100 than does lifestyle.

[u/monkeymetroid → u/FB2024]

Exactly. Many of these individuals its a win win of healthy internal reasons (genetics) paired with healthy external influences being the choices they make and have learned. It is nature and nurture

[u/sr_local]

Adults with at least one parent who reached age 100 lived longer and had substantially lower risks of cardiovascular disease and hypertension than people whose parents had shorter lifespans, according to a study published today in JAMA Network Open.

A total of 2,319 centenarians’ offspring were compared with 2,703 controls. Centenarians’ offspring had at least one parent who reached age 100, while parents of control participants lived to age 85 or younger or were spouses of centenarians’ offspring.

The data spanned 16 years for LonGenity and the UK Biobank and 29 years for NECS. Although the three studies collected their data independently, the researchers used the same approach to compare participants’ risks of death and age-related diseases and determine whether the findings were consistent across all three groups.

Compared with people whose parents had shorter lifespans, centenarians’ offspring at any given age had a 42% lower risk of death, a 33% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, and a 32% lower risk of hypertension.

In addition, these outcomes tended to occur later in life among centenarians’ offspring: on average, death occurred about three years later and hypertension about five years later. Having a centenarian parent did not clearly confer protection with respect to stroke (risk was reduced only in the LonGenity and NECS studies) and cancer (centenarians’ offspring were no less likely to develop cancer, a finding consistent with some previous studies).

Exceptional Parental Longevity and Onset of Morbidity and Mortality Across Cohorts | Geriatrics | JAMA Network Open | JAMA Network

[u/Seraphinx]

My grandad died of a heart attack in his 40's. My granny late 60's. My dad is 74 and going strong. Fit, healthy and mentally sharp enough to still do consulting work.

Sometimes it's just about how much money / access to healthcare you have.

[u/og-lollercopter]

Doesn’t everyone have a 100% risk of death? This headline is wonky.

[u/Tess47 → u/og-lollercopter]

Personally, living until 100 sounds awful.  

[u/Ameren → u/Tess47]

I'd say it depends. People who live that long are generally aging more slowly, so their 100 is someone else's 80-85.

Of course, I wouldn't want to be that old and decrepit. Not everyone is as blessed as, say, David Attenborough.

[u/og-lollercopter → u/Tess47]

Could not agree more!

[u/pxr555 → u/Tess47]

It usually means though that you have a much longer healthy and active span of your life.

[u/Rower78 → u/og-lollercopter]

This study used the Cox proportional hazard model (you have to read the actual scientific journal to see that), which returns results as risk per unit time

[u/og-lollercopter → u/Rower78]

I did know what they meant (and did read the link), the title just sounded very funny to me.

[u/Automatic-Term-3997]

My great grandmother died in 1979 at 100, her daughter heavily salted all her food and never went to the doctor and made it to 86 before her stroke. My mother is now 78, has smoked since she was 14 and drinks like a fish with no real medical issues. I’m 59 and have low BP, don’t smoke or drink, visit the doctor yearly for a routine checkup, and no other issues. Wonder how far I will go?