People who reach 110 or beyond — known as supercentenarians — tend to share traits such as leanness, disease-free aging and steady daily routines, according to Spanish cardiologist Manuel de la Peña. He attributes 75% of longevity to lifestyle and only 25% to genes, but a 2026 genetics study puts heredity's share closer to 50–55%, showing researchers still disagree on how much is nature versus habit.
Supercentenarians — people who reach the age of 110 or older — occur in roughly one in every 1,000 centenarians, according to the English Wikipedia entry on the term. Interest in what sets them apart has grown after Spanish cardiologist Manuel de la Peña, president of the European Institute of Health and Social Wellbeing, argued in interviews with Infobae in late 2025 and 2026 that genetics explains only a small part of why some people live that long.
Why this is being discussed now
In comments reported by Infobae on October 24, 2026, de la Peña said people over 110 share a 'common denominator': they are consistently thin, and it is 'rarísimo' (extremely rare) to find an obese person at that age. He linked this to lower lifelong exposure to metabolic and cardiovascular risks associated with excess weight. He illustrated the point by citing a centenarian patient, identified only as 'Conchi', whom he had photographed.
De la Peña also told Infobae in November 2025 that longevity is not simply handed down by parents or left to chance. 'Solo el 25% de tu longevidad está escrita en tus genes. El otro 75% depende completamente de ti,' he said — only 25% of longevity is written in your genes, with the other 75% depending entirely on the person, including nutrition, rest, movement, stress management and relationships.' He described people as 'the author of your own longevity' rather than its prisoner.
What supercentenarians reportedly have in common
Beyond body weight, de la Peña, cited by Infobae and separately by Hello! magazine, listed habits he associates with people who reach very old age: never smoking, avoiding heavy alcohol use, walking frequently, listening to music, keeping an active mind, embracing spirituality, and relying on social support to keep stress low. Hello! also quoted him citing target health markers among this group, including cholesterol around 120 and blood pressure near 130/70, and recommending a diet built on vegetables, legumes, whole grains, oily fish, a daily handful of nuts and several tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, while avoiding ultra-processed food.
Infobae separately reported that very elderly people naturally shift toward softer, lower-calorie foods — vegetable creams, cereals and fiber-rich fruit — as tooth loss and reduced jaw bone density make chewing harder, a pattern de la Peña links to spontaneous calorie moderation in old age.
Genetics vs. lifestyle: researchers are not settled
De la Peña's 25%/75% split is his own clinical assessment and is not presented as a peer-reviewed figure in the articles reviewed. Independent genetic research gives a wider and shifting range. For decades, twin studies in Denmark, Sweden and other populations estimated that genetics explains roughly 20% to 25% of variation in human lifespan, according to coverage of longevity heritability research.
That estimate was revised upward in a 2026 study published in the journal Science by researchers at Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science, led by systems biologist Uri Alon, as reported by STAT News. Reanalyzing decades of twin and sibling data from Scandinavia and the United States, the team argued that earlier estimates were distorted by deaths from accidents and infectious disease — causes that dominated mortality in the past but are less common today. After removing that 'extrinsic' noise, they calculated that genetics accounts for about 55% of the heritability of intrinsic lifespan. Even so, the researchers told STAT that roughly half of lifespan is still shaped by outside factors such as lifestyle, socioeconomic status and access to health care, plus inherent biological randomness.
Estimates of genetics' share in human longevity
Source
Estimated genetic share
Basis
Manuel de la Peña (cardiologist, 2025–2026)
25%
Clinical observation of patients, not a published study
Earlier twin studies (Denmark, Sweden and others)
~20–25%
Decades of twin-pair lifespan correlation research
Weizmann Institute study, Science, 2026
~55%
Twin/sibling data corrected for accident and infection deaths
What the data on supercentenarians can't yet prove
The English Wikipedia entry on supercentenarians notes that this population tends to stay free of major age-related disease until very late in life — about 10% survive their final three months without significant age-related illness, versus 3–4% of typical centenarians — and that a 2021 genomic study found supercentenarians carry gene variants linked to efficient DNA repair and unusually low rates of somatic mutation.
The same entry cautions that supercentenarian records, even when labeled 'verified,' are frequently unreliable, and that some widely cited 'Blue Zone' longevity hotspots have had their underlying age data questioned. That makes it difficult to draw firm conclusions about which habits, if any, are the direct cause of extreme longevity rather than simply common among people who happen to reach it.
Solo el 25% de tu longevidad está escrita en tus genes. El otro 75% depende completamente de ti.
— Manuel de la Peña, cardiologist, to Infobae
Key takeaways
Supercentenarians are people aged 110 or older; the oldest verified case is Jeanne Calment of France, who died in 1997 at 122 years and 164 days, per Wikipedia.
Cardiologist Manuel de la Peña links extreme longevity to leanness, not smoking, moderate or no alcohol, walking, music, low stress and social support.
He estimates genetics explains 25% of longevity; a 2026 Weizmann Institute study in Science put the genetic share closer to 55% after correcting for accident and infection deaths.
Researchers caution that supercentenarian age records are often hard to verify, limiting firm conclusions about cause and effect.
Questions
What exactly is a supercentenarian?
A supercentenarian is a person who has reached age 110 or older, a status reached by roughly one in 1,000 centenarians, according to Wikipedia.
Does genetics or lifestyle matter more for living past 110?
Experts disagree on the split. Cardiologist Manuel de la Peña puts genetics at 25% and lifestyle at 75%, while a 2026 Weizmann Institute study in Science estimated genetics' share at about 55% after adjusting for accident and infection deaths; both agree lifestyle and outside factors still account for a large share.
What habits are associated with people who live past 110?
De la Peña's reported observations link extreme longevity to staying lean, never smoking, avoiding heavy drinking, walking often, listening to music, low stress, social support and a diet rich in vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, oily fish and olive oil.
Who is the oldest person ever verified to have lived past 110?
Jeanne Calment of France is the oldest verified supercentenarian, dying in 1997 at age 122 years and 164 days, according to Wikipedia.
Is the data on supercentenarians fully reliable?
No. Wikipedia notes that even 'verified' supercentenarian records are often unreliable, and some widely cited longevity hotspots have had their age data questioned, which limits how firmly any single factor can be credited for extreme longevity.
How the world is telling it
SpanishSpanish outlets such as Infobae frame the story around cardiologist Manuel de la Peña's clinical experience and personal patient anecdotes, presenting his 25%/75% genetics-versus-habits claim and his observation about thinness among the very old as practical, motivational health advice rather than as a peer-reviewed finding.
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