Some people past the age of 100 still cook their own meals, walk to the market and go about daily life on their own. One has smoked heavily her entire life. Interest in the secrets of longevity is growing after research found that roughly one in seven women who reach 70 in a mountain village in Italy goes on to turn 100.
One in Seven Women at 70 Reaches 100, Second-Highest in the World
Bolotana, a mountain village on the Italian island of Sardinia, is drawing attention as a new longevity hotspot, according to foreign media including The Guardian and the Daily Mail on the 18th. Ten of its roughly 2,300 residents are aged 100 or older, a ratio about 11 times the U.S. average.
Researchers at the University of Sassari in Italy and the University of Alabama at Birmingham estimated that a woman in the village who reaches 70 has a 13.83% chance of living to 100. That is about 3.9 times the figure for Italian women overall, at 3.54%.
Life expectancy after 70 was also longer, at 20.85 years, compared with the Italian average of 18.06 years. Both measures rank second in the world behind Hong Kong in international comparisons.
Men in the village had a 4.92% chance of reaching 100, above the Italian average of 1.41%, though the researchers said the small number of observations leaves some uncertainty.
The researchers proposed Bolotana as a candidate for a new "Blue Zone," a term for regions with unusually high numbers of people aged 100 and over, such as Okinawa in Japan.
From a 102-Year-Old Heavy Smoker to Unmarried Sisters in Their 100s
The way residents live is also drawing interest. Maddalena Falchi, 102 this year, is known as a heavy smoker who has used tobacco all her life. An avid Ferrari fan, she has also enjoyed horse riding and embroidery.
When her childhood friend Filomena Scarpa, 100, urged her to quit, Falchi replied to the effect that she had had no trouble so far and would keep smoking. Her case does not, however, refute the dangers of smoking.
The Guardian also described the daily lives of Giovannina Maras, 101, and her younger sister Mariangela, 99. The two ran a tailoring business together when they were young and traveled around the world after retiring.
Neither married. "I received a proposal in the past, but I could not marry someone I did not really know," Giovannina recalled.
Mariangela said, "I did not want to marry. I walk my own path, and I do not need anyone's help."
Both still cook their own food. Mariangela walks up the hill to do the shopping and enjoys meat, cheese and wine.
Scarpa, who is 100, began studying German in her 90s and still takes exercise instruction twice a week. "You cannot sit down all day," she said.
"There Is No Gym in This Village." So What Explains the Longevity?
The researchers have yet to identify the exact causes of the village's longevity, but they are focusing on diet, physical activity, genetic traits and social ties.
Francesco Manconi, the mayor of Bolotana, pointed to a diet rich in grains and vegetables. Residents are said to favor olive oil, legumes, pasta and fresh fruit and vegetables.
Moving the body naturally in daily life is another feature. Because the village sits on steep hills, residents frequently walk to work their fields or visit neighbors.
"There is no gym in Bolotana," Manconi said. "In the past, older people used to walk 20 kilometers a day to get to their fields."
A community culture in which neighbors look after one another may also have played a role.
The patterns resemble those of long-lived older adults in South Korea. As of November last year, the country had 8,604 people aged 100 or older, up 172.4% from 2015, according to the Korea Data Agency (formerly Statistics Korea).
Asked for the secret to their long lives, the largest share cited a moderate diet, including eating small amounts, at 59.7%, followed by a regular daily routine at 44.5% and genetic factors at 32.1%.
Half, or 50.8%, said they meet their children or neighbors 10 or more times a month.
The researchers said longevity is hard to explain by any single food or habit, but that steady physical activity, a balanced diet and active personal relationships may be important clues to a healthy old age.
