London: They may be a little wrinkly, and there may not be many of them, but centenarians are the fastest growing demographic in the developed world.
Scientists believe people who live to 100 years or more hold valuable secrets in their genes that can reveal targets for medicines to tackle a wide range of age-related diseases, as well as improving longevity itself.
"If you make it to 100, you must have had good health and a good life -- otherwise you wouldn`t be at the tail end of the age distribution curve," Kaare Christensen of the Danish Aging Research Center told Reuters in an interview.
"So basically, we`re trying to figure out how they do it."
Of course, genes are not the whole story: experts believe genetic factors account for a only fraction of longevity. Other factors like a healthy lifestyle, good diet and safe environment combine to play a role in determining when we die.
Yet so-called "longevity genes" certainly exist, and their importance grows the longer a person lives, so identifying them and finding out what they do to fight off killer diseases is a hot area of research.
With lifespans already increasing at a breathtaking rate -- an average of three months is being added to life expectancy every year at the moment -- scientists stress that a "magic pill" to help people live ever longer is not what anyone should be seeking.
Instead the aim is known as "compression of morbidity" -- improving the health of rapidly aging populations and squeezing to a minimum the amount of time at the end of their lives when they are sick, in pain, or dependent.
"None of us, probably, wants another five years in a nursing home," said Linda Partridge, director of University College London`s Institute of Healthy Aging.
"But an additional five years without any particular health problems would be another matter."
Bureau Report