Some might put it down to luck, while others credit a daily cup of tea – but the secret to living to 100 could be having more hunter–gatherer DNA, according to a study.
Researchers analysed the genetic makeup of more than 1,000 Italians – 333 of whom were centenarians.
They compared these with ancient genomes from prehistoric groups, including Bronze Age herders and Middle Eastern Neolithic farmers.
Analysis revealed that those who reached the age of 100 tended to possess more genes linked to Mesolithic Western European Hunter Gatherers (WHG).
This ancient group, who lived between 9,000 and 14,000 years ago, were the post–Ice Age inhabitants of Europe and were known for their dark skin, light eyes and robust builds.
Their lifestyle centred on hunting and gathering diverse plant and animal resources like roots, hazelnuts and deer in a warming climate.
‘Our analyses showed for the first time that long–lived individuals exhibit a higher affinity to WHG–related ancestry,’ the team wrote in the journal GeroScience.
‘In particular, we showed a greater contribution from WHG–related ancestry to Italian centenarians, thus suggesting that this pre–Neolithic genetic component…could be beneficial for longevity today.’
The researchers discovered that centenarians (CENT) had DNA that more closely matched that of Western Hunter Gatherers (WHG) compared to others in the study (ITA)
The oldest living person in the world is believed to be Ethel Caterham, from Surrey, who was born on August 21, 1909 and is 116 years old
The researchers, from the University of Bologna, said people over the age of 100 were found to carry a significantly higher number of hunter–gatherer–related mutations.
Meanwhile, no other genetic ancestries appeared to be linked to living a longer life.
The mechanisms behind the findings will have to be studied further, they said, as it is unclear how this DNA has an effect on longevity.
Hunting and gathering has played a huge role in human history, with evidence suggesting the practice dates back two million years.
Before this became the dominant lifestyle, early humans were primarily scavengers, relying on leftovers from predators alongside gathering wild plants, insects and honey.
Hunter–gatherer groups tended to range in size from an extended family to a larger band of no more than about 100 people and moved around a lot as they required access to large areas of land.
Despite a widespread shift to farming around 12,000 years ago, many hunter–gatherer behaviours have persisted until modern times – as recently as 500 years ago there were still hunter–gatherers in parts of Europe and throughout the Americas.
Since then, the population has declined dramatically and today very few exist, with the Hadza people of Tanzania being one of the last groups to live in this traditional way.
Experts have recreated the face of Cheddar Man, one of the most famous hunter–gatherers in history
One of the most famous hunter–gatherers is Cheddar Man, whose skeleton was discovered at Gough’s Cave in Somerset in 1903.
This individual, who lived around 10,000 years ago, is the oldest almost complete skeleton of our species, Homo sapiens, ever found in Britain.
Scientists say he belonged to a group of people whose diets would have consisted of seeds and nuts as well as red deer, aurochs – large wild cattle – and freshwater fish.
Meanwhile, recent advancements in science and healthcare mean more people are living to the age of 100 than ever before.
Figures, published earlier this year, found more people in the UK than ever before are living beyond 100 years old.
Over 16,600 people across the UK were at least 100 in 2024, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) data – meaning the number of centenarians has more than doubled since 2004.
Women were almost four and a half times as likely to celebrate turning 100 than men, with women accounting for over 13,500 centenarians.
The title of the oldest person to have ever lived belongs to French woman Jeanne Louise Calment whose life spanned 122 years and 164 days.
A Hazda tribe member carries a dead baboon which has been shot with an arrow. Members of the Tanzanian tribe have lived as hunter–gatherers for 10,000 years
Ms Caterham attributed her longevity to ‘never arguing with anyone,’ adding: ‘I listen and I do what I like’.
Experts who have studied centenarians agree.
Physical activity, faith, love, companionship, and a sense of purpose make up the backbone of so–called ‘Blue Zones,’ or areas of the world where people typically live to 100 and beyond.
Maintaining an active lifestyle, even simply walking around town every day, has been shown to improve longevity.
Companionship has been shown to have a similarly positive effect on a person’s lifespan, with studies consistently showing loneliness is toxic.
WHO WAS THE CHEDDAR MAN AND WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT HIM?
Cheddar Man, unearthed in 1903 in a cave in Somerset, lived around 10,000 years ago. A huge hole in his skull (pictured) suggests he died a violent death
Britain’s oldest complete human skeleton, known as Cheddar Man, was unearthed in 1903 in Gough’s Cave in Cheddar Gorge, Somerset.
The prehistoric male lived around 10,000 years ago, and a huge hole in his skull suggests he died a violent death.
Other remains found at Gough’s Cave have been linked to cannibalistic rituals, trophy display and secondary burial by prehistoric humans.
Cheddar Man, thought to have died in his twenties and have had a relatively good diet, lived in Britain when it was almost completely depopulated.
Although previous populations had settled in Britain long before his arrival, they were wiped out before him.
The Cheddar Man marked the start of continuous habitation on the island, making him among the very first modern Britons.
Genetically, he belonged to a group of people known as the ‘Western Hunter-Gatherers’, Mesolithic-era individuals from Spain, Hungary and Luxembourg.
His ancestors migrated to Europe from the Middle East after the Ice Age and today, 10 per cent of White British people are descended from the group.
Scientists have reconstructed the Cheddar Man’s face several times using the shape of his skull and assumptions about the appearance of the first Britons.
Most of these analyses were not based on DNA data, and assumed he was white with light hair.
Cheddar Man, thought to have died in his twenties and have had a relatively good diet, lived in Britain when it was almost completely depopulated. Pictured is a reconstruction of the prehistoric male’s remains as they were found in a Gough’s Cave a century ago
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
