On August 14, 2023, CNBC featured insights from AFAR SuperAgers Family Study Co-Investigator Thomas Perls, MD, MPH, FACP, on the incredible longevity of centenarians Elizabeth Francis—the oldest woman living in Texas who celebrated her 114thbirthday last week. Dr. Perls also discusses the role of both lifestyle and genetics in the progression of age-related diseases.
In the article ‘The oldest living person in Texas just turned 114: Here’s why doctors say she’s done “everything right”,’ Dr. Perls shares a list of five practices—which includes managing stress, getting good sleep, eating well, exercising often, and not smoking—that scientists believe may increase the odds of living to age 90 and beyond.
Such individuals are the focus of the SuperAgers Family Study. Led by AFAR in collaboration with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and the Boston University School of Medicine, the Study aims to collect data from a large group of individuals who have lived to age 95 or more. The Study's goal is to understand and uncover the biological factors contributing healthy aging and exceptional longevity shared among the SuperAgers and their families. To learn more and enroll, click here.
Read the CNBC article here.
Thomas Perls, MD, MPA, FACP, is a Professor of Geriatrics at Boston University School of Medicine and the founding director of the New England Centenarian Study. A Paul B. Beeson Emerging Leaders Career Development Award recipient, he is the author of the book Living to 100.
