Maintaining a strong heart is the key to reaching old age and reaching the goal of one hundred years, a group that currently includes around 20,000 people in Spain. A healthy life, with a balanced diet, consistency in doing moderate exercise on a regular basis and a genetic component are the main factors that influence reaching that age with a healthy heart and a good general state of health.
The majority of Spanish centenarians are not smokers and have some history of family members who have exceeded the age of 90. It has also been shown that genetics plays an important role in extending the years of life. A study presented a few years ago by the Geriatric Cardiology section of the Spanish Society of Cardiology (SEC) already highlighted these points as the keys to longevity.
Another mixed Italian-British research published in the journal Cardiovascular Research discovered that a specific mutated gene that many centenarians have could be used in the future to help other people maintain a healthy heart for longer and rejuvenate their hearts by ten years. In 2018, this research group made its first discovery, which consisted of discovering that many older people, including several centenarians, were carriers of a specific and unique genetic mutation, specifically in a gene called BPIFB4. Carriers of this mutation have rates of cardiovascular disease much lower than average.
In a new study, this research group has continued to analyze the possible effects of this gene in two phases: laboratory tests with human cardiac cells and later in elderly animals. The first conclusions, according to scientists studying this gene, indicate that gene therapy has possible extraordinary potential to rejuvenate old heart cells. This therapy also shows signs of being able to reverse some signs of cardiac aging.
The population of centenarians grows daily and is the maximum expression of the growth in life expectancy. Spain is among the countries with the highest life expectancy on the entire planet.
Life expectancy at birth in 2020 stood at 82.2 years (85 in women and 79.5 in men), according to the annual report of the Ministry of Health on 'Life expectancies in Spain'. Healthy life expectancy at birth is 78.69 years (80.60 for women). The Spanish province with the highest life expectancy is Ourense, with ratios similar to those of the mythical Japanese area of Okinawa, which is traditionally considered the area with the highest life expectancy in the world.
According to the United Nations (UN) World Population Prospects report, global life expectancy at birth increased from 46.5 years in 1950 to 71.7 years in 2022 and is expected to rise to 77. 3 in 2050. In terms of countries, Monaco is in first place with 87 years of life expectancy at birth, followed by Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Singapore, Italy, South Korea and Spain. In the Republic of Chad, however, life expectancy is 53 years.
