Living to 100 -- Easier Than You Think?

Feb. 11, 2008— -- CHICAGO (AP) - Living to 100 is easier than you might think.

Surprising new research suggests that even people who developheart disease or diabetes late in life have a decent shot atreaching the century mark.

"It has been generally assumed that living to 100 years of agewas limited to those who had not developed chronic illness," saidDr. William Hall of the University of Rochester.

Hall has a theory for how these people could live to that age.In an editorial in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine, wherethe study was published, he writes that it might be thanks todoctors who aggressively treat these older folks' health problems,rather than taking an "ageist" approach that assumes theywouldn't benefit.

For the study, Boston University researchers did phoneinterviews and health assessments of more than 500 women and 200men who had reached 100. They found that roughly two-thirds of themhad avoided significant age-related ailments.

But the rest, dubbed "survivors," had developed an age-relateddisease before reaching 85, including high blood pressure, heartdisease or diabetes. Yet many functioned remarkably well - nearlyas well as their disease-free peers.

Overall, the men were functioning better than the women. Nearlythree-fourths of the male survivors could bathe and dressthemselves, while only about one-third of the women could.

The researchers think that may be because the men had to be inexceptional condition to reach 100. "Women, on the other hand, maybe better physically and socially adept at living with chronic andoften disabling conditions," wrote lead author Dr. Dellara Terryand her colleagues.

Rosa McGee is one of the healthy women in the study who managedto avoid chronic disease. Now 104, the retired cook and seamstressis also strikingly lucid.

"My living habits are beautiful," McGee said in an interviewat her daughter's Chicago apartment. "I don't take any medicines.I don't smoke and I don't drink. Never did anything like that."