(HealthDay News) — A healthy lifestyle may be beneficial even at a very advanced age, according to a study published online June 20 in JAMA Network Open.
Yaqi Li, PhD, from Fudan University in China, and colleagues examined healthy lifestyle and the likelihood of becoming centenarians among people aged 80 years and older in China. The analysis included data from 5,222 individuals participating in the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey.
The researchers found that during a median follow-up of five years, 373 of 1,486 individuals with the lowest healthy lifestyle score for 100 (HLS-100; score of 0 to 2) and 276 of 851 individuals with the highest HLS-100 (score of 5 to 6) became centenarians. For the highest versus the lowest HLS-100 groups, the adjusted odds ratio was 1.61. When looking at centenarians with a relatively healthy status (e.g., self-reported chronic conditions, physical and cognitive function, and mental wellness), a similar association was seen (adjusted odds ratio, 1.54).
“Adhering to a healthy lifestyle appears to be important even at late ages, suggesting that constructing strategic plans to improve lifestyle behaviors among all older adults may play a key role in promoting healthy aging and longevity,” the authors write.
