Supercentenarians: Longevity secrets of those who live to be 110, and older

SUPERCENTARIANS: A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100 years. In 2012, the UN estimated 316,600 people were over 100 years of age still living around the world. Remarkably, this number is set to rise to more than 3 million by 2050, BBC reported. A “supercentenarian”, on the other hand, is a someone who has reached the age of 110 — only one in 1,000 centenarians hit that mark. Here’s our list of supercentenarians:

LUCILE RANDON (Female): Born February 11, 1904. Age: 118. Known as “Sister Andre”, Randon is recognised by Guinness World Records as being the oldest validated living person in the world after the death of Kane Tanaka of Japan on April 19, 2022. Her age is also validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG). Born in Ales, France, Randon has been a nun for over 75 years. Scientists have identified 130 genes as some of key factors in predicting longevity.

TEKLA JUNIEWICZ (Female): Age: 116 years, born on June 10, 1906. Tekla Dadak Juniewicz was born in Krups'ke, Ukraine and is today known as a Polish supercentenarian who is the longest-lived person in the history of Poland validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG). She lives in Gliwice, Poland. The new science of aging points to 3 things that help extend life: exercise, nutrition, and commitment.

MARIA BRANYAS MORERA (Female): Age: 115 years, born on March 4, 1907. The Spanish-American is the oldest known living person in Catalonia, Spain. Maria Branyas Morera was born in Mexico in 1907 and emigrated to San Francisco, California in 1909. She is also among the oldest people known to have survived COVID-19, which she contracted at the age of 113 in April 2020.

EDITH “EDIE” CECCARELI (Female): Age: 114, born on February 5, 1908. Ceccarelli lives in Mendocino County, California and is known as oldest person in the state. Her age is validated by Gerontology Research Group. Boston University’s New England Centenarian Study states that genetics plays a role in those who live into their 90s and beyond.

KOHORU FURUYA (Female). Age: 114 years, born on February 18, 1908. She was reported as the oldest living person in Shizuoka Prefecture. As of 2021, she often sat in a wheelchair, but she could still stand and walk a little. Furuya's age was validated by the GRG on December 20, 2021. She lives in Izunokuni City, Shizuoka, Japan.

TOMIKO ITOOKA (Female): Age: 114, born on May 23, 1908. She frequently enjoyed climbing Mt. Nijo, which straddles Nara and Osaka prefectures, Japan. She also climbed Mt. Ontake (elevation: 3,000 metres) twice. When she was 100 years old, she climbed the long stone steps of Ashiya Shrine without a cane. Itooka lives in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.

INAH CANABARRO LUCAS (Female): Age: 114, born on June 8, 1908. She moved Uruguay in 1928, where she became a nun and later moved back to Brazil to teach language and mathematics. On January 25, 2021 at the age of 112, she received her first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, making her one of the oldest people to receive the shot. She became the oldest validated living person in Brazil, following the death of Antonia da Santa Cruz on January 23, 2022.

HAZEL PLUMMER (Female), Age: 114 years, born on June 19, 1908. Plummer has lived through two global pandemics — COVID-19 last year and the Spanish Flu Pandemic in 1918. Born in Somerville, Massachuset. She was a seamstress. When she turned 100, her son told her, “You are the oldest person I know,” to which she reportedly replied, “Me too.” She marked her 114th at Life Care Center in Littleton, Massachusetts.

KIMIKO ONO (Female): Age: 114, born on June 22, 1908. She likes all sorts of food, especially meat, and used to grate her vegetables herself to make and drink her vegetable smoothies before blenders came. Kimiko loves to travel all over Japan. She reads the small letters in her booklet with the naked eye until she was 113 years old. On her 114th, she is still able move her wheelchair on her own to move around in the nursing home. Ono’s age validated by the GRG on July 22, 2022.

MARITA CAMACHO QUIROS (Female): Age: 111, born on March 10, 1911. Born in Alajuela, Costa Rica, Quiros is the first person who was a First Lady to become a supercentenarian. Camacho Quirós is the oldest living person in Costa Rica and the oldest former First Lady in the world.

ANTONIO ALVARADO LARGO (Male): Age: 110, born on July 8, 1912. He was born in Remolina, Cremenes, Castile and Leon, Spain, served as a soldier during the Spanish Civil War. He also served as mayor of Cremenes between 1987 and 1996. He lives in Vegaquemada. In the book "The Longevity Project", the authors Howard Friedman and Leslie Martin pointed to a long-term study of 1,528 participants started in 1921, citing key longevity factors: relationships and social inclusion, kindness, love, and a strong sense of community, saniation|socio-economic status, brain activity, physical activity, healthy diet, self-discipline (conscientiousness) and being goal-oriented.