Supercentenarian facts for kids
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A supercentenarian is a person who is 110 years old or even older. This is a very rare age to reach! Only about one out of every 1,000 people who live to be 100 years old (called centenarians) will make it to 110. Supercentenarians often stay healthy and free from major age-related sicknesses until they are very, very old.
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What Does "Supercentenarian" Mean?
The word "supercentenarian" has been used for a long time, since at least 1832. It became more well-known in 1976 when Norris McWhirter, who edited The Guinness Book of Records, used it. Later, in 1991, authors William Strauss and Neil Howe helped make the term even more popular in their book Generations.
Sometimes, you might hear the term "semisupercentenarian." This describes someone who is between 105 and 109 years old. While "supercentenarian" used to mean anyone well over 100, experts who study populations now use 110 years old as the official starting point.
How Many Supercentenarians Are There?
It's very rare to become a supercentenarian! Researchers believe there are only about 300 to 450 living supercentenarians in the world at any time. This is because only a tiny fraction (less than 1%) of people who reach 100 years old will live to be 110.
A study from 2010 found 663 supercentenarians, both living and those who had passed away, whose ages were officially checked. The countries with the most supercentenarians were the United States, Japan, England (plus Wales), France, and Italy.
The first person in history whose age of 110 was officially proven was Geert Adriaans Boomgaard from the Netherlands. He was born in 1788 and lived until 1899. It wasn't until the 1980s that anyone was officially proven to have lived past 115 years old.
A Look at Supercentenarian History
People have always told stories about very old individuals. However, it's hard to prove these claims from long ago. For example, Thomas Peters from the Netherlands was said to have lived from about 1745 to 1857. But there are no reliable records from his early life to confirm his age.
Many experts agree that Geert Adriaans Boomgaard, also from the Netherlands, was the first person whose age of 110 was truly proven. He reached 110 in 1898.
In 1902, Margaret Ann Neve, who was born in 1792, became the first woman whose age of 110 was officially confirmed.
The oldest person ever officially proven to have lived is Jeanne Calment from France. She passed away in 1997 at the amazing age of 122 years and 164 days. The oldest man ever confirmed was Jiroemon Kimura from Japan. He died in 2013 at 116 years and 54 days old.
As of today, Ethel Caterham from the United Kingdom is the world's oldest living person. João Marinho Neto from Brazil is the world's oldest living man.
Why Do Scientists Study Supercentenarians?
Scientists study supercentenarians to understand how some people can live for so long and stay healthy. By learning about these very old individuals, researchers hope to find ways for more people to live longer and healthier lives.
Groups like the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) and LongeviQuest are dedicated to researching and verifying the ages of centenarians and supercentenarians.
In 2021, scientists studied the complete genetic information (called whole genome sequencing) of 81 Italian semi-supercentenarians and supercentenarians. They compared them to a group of slightly younger people from the same area. This kind of research helps them look for special genes or traits that might help people live longer.
Staying Healthy at Extreme Ages
Research on supercentenarians shows that they often avoid major age-related diseases until very late in life. These diseases include things like stroke, heart disease, dementia, cancer, and diabetes. Instead, supercentenarians often pass away because their organs simply wear out, rather than from a specific illness.
About 10% of supercentenarians stay free of these major diseases until the last three months of their lives. This is much higher than for people who are 100 years old (centenarians) or 105-109 years old (semi-supercentenarians).
Scientists have also found interesting things about the bodies of supercentenarians. For example, a study of a 112-year-old woman found that a part of her brain called the cerebellum seemed to be protected from aging. It looked about 15 years younger than expected for someone her age! This might explain why this part of the brain shows fewer signs of age-related memory problems compared to other brain areas.
A study in 2021 looked at the genes of supercentenarians. It found that they have special genetic traits that help protect them from age-related diseases. These traits seem to improve how their bodies repair DNA. Supercentenarians also had very few changes in their DNA that happen over time (called somatic mutations).
See also
In Spanish: Supercentenario para niños
- List of notable supercentenarians
