A new peer-reviewed study suggests the key to reaching 100 years old may have less to do with clean living or daily habits and more to do with ancient genetic inheritance.
Researchers examining more than 1,000 Italians, including 333 centenarians, found that individuals who live past 100 typically carry higher levels of Western Hunter-Gatherer (WHG) ancestry.
The findings, published in GeroScience, add a surprising genetic dimension to the global search for the roots of longevity.
Scientists compared the genomes of modern participants with those of ancient populations, including Bronze Age herders and Neolithic farmers.
The strongest correlation linked extreme longevity to DNA inherited from Mesolithic Western European hunter–gatherers, a group that lived 9,000 to 14,000 years ago.
According to the study, “long-lived individuals exhibit a higher affinity to WHG–related ancestry.”
The data revealed that “a greater contribution from WHG–related ancestry to Italian centenarians.”
The study’s findings suggest that this pre-Neolithic genetic component “could be beneficial for longevity today.”
The researchers noted that people over 100 carried significantly more hunter-gatherer-related mutations than the general population.
No other ancestral grouping appeared to have the same association with longer lifespan.
The mechanisms remain unclear and will require further research.
The ancient WHG communities, known for their robust physical build, dark skin, and light eyes, lived on diverse diets of wild plants and game, including hazelnuts, roots, deer, and other animals that thrived in post-Ice Age Europe.
The study arrives as the number of centenarians continues to climb.
According to the 2020 U.S. Census, there were 80,139 people aged 100 or older in the United States, representing a 50% increase since 2010.
This number has continued to grow, with recent data indicating that the number of Americans living past 100 has surpassed 80,000.
Projections suggest this population will quadruple by 2054, reaching an estimated 422,000 centenarians.
Similarly, the UK now has over 16,600 residents aged 100 or older, more than double the figure from 2004.
Women make up the overwhelming majority of this demographic.
The world’s oldest living person is believed to be Ethel Caterham of Surrey, England, who is 116.
Her explanation for longevity was simple: “never arguing with anyone,” adding:
“I listen, and I do what I like.”
Long-studied “Blue Zones,” communities with unusually high numbers of centenarians, have consistently emphasized lifestyle markers such as physical activity, companionship, and purpose.
But the Italian study suggests genetics may silently amplify those advantages.
WHG ancestry is also familiar to Britons: Cheddar Man, the nearly complete 10,000-year-old skeleton discovered in Somerset, belonged to the same population.
Roughly 10 percent of white British people are descended from this genetic group.
The findings highlight a growing scientific consensus that while lifestyle matters, the blueprint for exceptional longevity may have been written long before modern habits, perhaps as far back as the last Ice Age.
READ MORE – Drinking Coffee Protects Against Liver Disease, Study Reveals
Our comment section is restricted to members of the Slay News community only.
To join, create a free account HERE.
If you are already a member, log in HERE.