David Attenborough Hits 100: 5 Habits Centenarians Share

Congratulations to the iconic broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, who recently reached the impressive milestone. He is now officially 100 years old.

The national treasure recently said he’s been “overwhelmed” by the love that’s been showered on him on his birthday. The BBC has thrown something of an Attenborough bonanza on its channels during his birthday week, too.

In 2024, the proportion of 90+-year-olds who’d made it to 100 rose from 2% in 2004 to 2.7%.

Which begs the question: is there something longevity legends like the Blue Planet star know, are, or do that makes hitting a century more likely?

Here’s what science says about those who reach the rare status of centenarian:

A 2025 paper that looked at 270,000 Swedish people born from 1920-1922 for up to 30 years, starting age 70, found that those who lived to 100 tended to have a positive worldview.

Study author Karin Modig said, “maintaining a positive outlook on life – feeling a sense of purpose – does seem to be a common pattern”.

A separate paper found that those who have a positive view of ageing may be less likely to experience age-related decline. And the Japanese approach, “ikigai”, or having a passion you actively participate in in older age, could lead to healthier ageing.

That same Swedish study found that 100-year-olds tended to get diseases later and have fewer of them.

Modig shared, “The results suggest that centenarians have preserved homeostasis and resistance to disease despite ageing and physiological stresses – something that may be due to a favourable combination of genes, lifestyle and environment.”

She added that “Having a healthy cardiovascular system” helps, too. Thankfully, heart health researchers say it’s never too late to improve this through quality sleep, physical activity, not smoking, and a good diet.

OK, I admit this isn’t a lifestyle habit, but then, research shows not everything is within our control. One 2017 paper found that having a parent who lived to 95 increased their children’s likelihood of facing common health complications in older age, like high blood pressure, stroke, and heart attack.

Still, researchers think only 25% of your longevity is down to genes.

A Chinese study found that, among older populations, 100-year-old adults who were the likeliest to sleep 7.5 hours (inlcuding naps) a day.

And the very elderly were 70% more likely to report great-quality sleep than their 65-79-year-old counterparts.

A 2023 article in the journal Nutrients “found strong evidence for an additional role of both diet and lifestyle changes as agents for longer life and reaching centenarian status”.

And a spearate paper, also published in 2023, said that UK life expectancy could increase by as much as 10 years by shifting to healthier diets, including eating more “whole grains, nuts and fruits and less sugar-sweetened beverages and processed meat”.