Here’s how to live to 100, according to science

Most of us are aware that cutting back on hamburgers and pints of beer will probably prolong our lives – at the cost of making them a bit less interesting.

But what else could we be doing to ensure we live long enough to get that 100th birthday card from the Queen?

Actually, there’s quite a lot, according to YouTube science channel ASAPScience, in a new video called How To Live to 100.

For instance, being vegetarian lowers your risk of early death by 12% – and sausage bacon and ham are linked to higher risks of cancer and heart disease.

Oddly, Oscar winners tend to live about four years longer than non-winners – and people who eat a diet rich in Omega-3 add about two years onto their lives.

Living to 100 or more is now a very real possibility, scientists say, as death rates among centenarians plunge – and are set to drop even further.

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A new American study using Census Bureau data found that the death rate for over-100s is dropping dramatically – and the population of centenarians has grown 44% in the years from 2000 to 2014.

There’s a lot of lifestyle factors which can help you along the way, too.

A study of 490,000 people from the China Kadoorie Biobank, found that people who ate spicy food two days per week had a 10% reduced risk of death over a given time period.

A 2005 study in the journal Thrombosis and Haemostasis suggested that wine drinkers tend to live longer than beer drinkers.

Many scientists believe that resveratrol, a chemical found in wine, may have an effect on longevity.

A new study suggests that heavy coffee drinkers who gup between three and five cups a day could be cutting their risk of dangerous disease – and death.

Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that people who drank three to five cups per day (decaf or not) had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, neurological diseases, type 2 diabetes, and suicide.

Other factors could include social habits – such as joining a book club, or going to church.

Book clubs are just as good for extending your lifespan as sweating it out in the gym, a new study has found.

Researchers at the University of Queensland focused on 400 recently retired people in England.

The researchers found that losing touch with ‘social groups’ such as book clubs led to an increased risk of death.

A study of 4,000 North Carolina residents found that people who went to church regularly were less likely to die in a given time period than those who didn’t.