The Different Paths to Age One Hundred
Attaining age 100 is a rare event in industrialized nations, occurring in 1 person per 10,000 in the population. Becoming a centenarian does not appear to be rare because the individual genetic or behavioral factors (such as specific genetic polymorphisms or lack of specific toxic exposures) that enable such longevity are rare, but rather because having the adequate combination of these factors is rare.
aging genetics longevity age-associated disease morbidity and mortality geriatrics gender gerontology inheritance alzheimer's disease