Supercentenarians are people who have lived beyond the age of 110. Only about 1,000 have been documented and verified, with a two percent chance of reaching 115. The term was coined in the 1970s, and both the US and Japan have documented high numbers. Researchers study supercentenarians to understand why they live so long, and genetic testing has been done in some regions. Supercentenarian birthdays are celebrated in local newspapers, and many cite good diets and an active lifestyle as reasons for their longevity.
A supercentenarian is someone who has lived beyond the age of 110. Living to become a supercentenarian is extremely rare; only about 1,000 supercentenarians have been documented and verified, though undoubtedly more people have lived past 110. Once someone reaches 110, they have about a two percent chance of reaching the next big milestone, 115.
This term first appeared in the 1970s, when researchers wanted a superlative form of “centennial,” the word used to describe someone who lives past the age of 100. The term “supercentenarian” was coined and seems to have stuck, though some people prefer it in the hyphenated form of “supercentenarian.” No terms beyond “supercentenarians” have been coined so far, probably because so few people live past the age of 115; the oldest documented human was Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 at the age of 122.
Both the United States and Japan have documented high numbers of supercentenarians, which may have less to do with longevity than it has to do with meticulous record keeping in both of these nations. Confirming that someone is a supercentenarian can be challenging, as it requires a valid birth certificate and documents that support the person’s claim to supercentenarian status. With a growing global trend towards more intensive documentation of birth and death records, more supercentenarians will no doubt begin to emerge.
Very old people are often studied because researchers are curious as to why they lived so long. As a general rule, people begin to experience health problems as their bodies slowly decompose in old age, and researchers would like to know why some people live to be supercentenarians, while others age and die long before they hit 90, lest they talk about their 100. In some regions, extensive genetic testing has been done on supercentenarians to see if there is a genetic component to their longevity.
Supercentenarian birthdays are often celebrated in local newspapers, and in some countries, the head of state will send a birthday card to people who achieve historic birthdays. Many supercentenarians have been interviewed in the press and cite a wide variety of reasons for their advanced age, from sheer luck to extremely good diets. Many supercentenarians have said they do not smoke or drink, suggesting that these practices may contribute to health problems, and many have also lived very active and eventful lives; maybe all the excitement keeps them young.
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