Longevity & AgingWhat Centenarian Genetics Actually Reveal About Living to 100
Dr. Paola Sebastiani of Tufts joins the Longevity by Design podcast to discuss what studying centenarians teaches us about extreme longevity. She explains that no single longevity gene exists — instead, many small genetic effects make personal prediction difficult. Historical data show only 0.2% of men and about 1% of women born in 1900 reached 100. Centenarians tend to show delayed disease onset, lower inflammation, and more youthful biomarker profiles. Diet emerges as a meaningful lever, with centenarians showing stable protein intake and metabolite patterns linked to vegetables and dark chocolate. Sebastiani also covers proteomics, metabolomics, gut microbiome signals, and the health advantages seen in centenarians' offspring, painting a multi-layered picture of healthy aging driven by genetics, environment, and lifestyle.
