More people are doing it: living to the ripe old age of 100. It has health experts working to figure out what these old-timers are doing right.

“It’s a really interesting concept to think about. What do these individuals really do to live that long?” says Lee Memorial Health System’s Vice President of health and wellness, Dr. Sal Lacagnina.

Their good health is often no accident. It begins with healthy living. As evidenced by clusters of people who live in the same geographic area, growing old together, sharing many of the same habits and histories.

“The commonalities really come in what they eat, how they move, how they’re active on a regular basis, and their social surroundings,” says Dr. Lacagnina.

Diet is often rooted in wholesome foods.

“When they look specifically at how these individuals ate, they all ate whole foods, they didn't eat processed foods. They ate lots of vegetables, some fruits. A lot of these cultures have foods without pesticides, which really makes a difference,” says Dr. Lacagnina.

Staying physically active was important too. Another key was staying relevant. Having a strong support system lessens anxiety and is associated with lower rates of depression.

“The individuals usually live in a family support unit, which may have two or three generations. The individuals themselves have less stress because they know that they’re cared for, but also that they are functional parts of a family unit,” says Dr. Lacagnina.

The basic principles are simple- the keys to living longer may be to focus on aging well.


View More Health Matters video segments at leememorial.org/healthmatters/

Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we’ve been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.

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