But don't expect them to conform. And the longer they live, the more pronounced those differences become. Even past the age of 100, though, centenarians still conform on some things, like good health. About 50 percent of them try to avoid fats in their diets, said Mary Ann Johnson, who heads the study's diet and nutrition component. They also eat more fruits and vegetables, get slightly more vitamin A and carotene, and consume about the same amount of calories and fat as their younger counterparts.
Emotions play a bigger role.
Aspects of mental health and the number of illnesses, more than age, predicted nutritional risk among centenarians. Expert survivors tend to be healthy and proud of it. Surprisingly, the researchers found no significant differences among people in their seventh, ninth and 11th decades in the number of medications taken, trips to the doctor or hospital, or recent illnesses. But our check-ups confirm that they are in remarkably good health. One gentleman, David, who is 105, still reads without glasses and has 20-25 vision.