Latest supercentenarian research findings.
Only 6.6 per 1,000 makes it into this category (16,600/2,500,000 = 0.0066); alternatively, from the 2000 US Census (~50,454 centenarians in a total population of 282 million = 17.9 per 100,000) or by applying the mortality rates from US Social Security for 2004 to the number of US centenarians for 2000, we estimate that the number of age 100 (but not older) persons in the year 2000 was 16,600, while US births in the year 1900 was 2,500,000. There is additional variability due to migration and due to the cohort effect of adding persons born before 1900. Another estimate puts the number of US Centenarians in 2009 at 81,000.
Why Do Supercentenarians Live So Long?
The most likely cause of death of Supercentenarians is called Senile Cardiac TTR-Amyloidosis (Diagnosis by Autopsy [6 of 10 in all of history] and not by what is written on Death Certificates).
Finding: We recognize that longevity is inherited (1st degree relatives also live a long time); By the way, Supercentenarians have practically nothing else in common, regardless of what they tell us is their self-attributed “Secret” to long life.
Conclusion: The answer to longevity must lie in our genes.
Corollary: Doing a simple DNA Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) analysis is expected to uncover a large number of “longevity” genes that determine human life expectancy and maximum lifespan.