Even better news: You can proactively make daily decisions now to better support these functions.
Living to 100 may sound extraordinary, but the path to get there is usually paved with everyday healthy habits. While we know a great deal about the importance of diet, exercise, and sleep and how these factors impact our overall health, some lesser-known identifiers can cause a ripple effect, too.
In fact, a 2025 study published in the Springer Nature journal GeroScience has found that two simple heart benchmarks could hold a crucial key to whether you live that long—and suggests that lifestyle interventions could greatly enhance your chances.
Conducted by an international team of researchers representing fields such as biomedical research, sports science, and medical genetics, the review focused on centenarians, people who reach age 100 and beyond. The study revealed that many of these individuals share two quiet but powerful advantages: low levels of inflammation and better-than-average endothelial function. These may sound like complex medical terms, but together they help the body age more slowly, especially the heart and blood vessels.
Inflammation is the body’s natural and healthy response to stress or injury, but when inflammation stays high for years, it begins to damage blood vessels and raise the risk for heart disease and stroke. Most people see inflammation rise steadily with age due to factors like stress, poor diet, inactivity, and chronic illness. But centenarians are different: they tend to have much lower levels of inflammatory markers, enabling a calmer internal environment that protects blood vessels from the slow, steady wear that usually comes with getting older.
The second key factor was endothelial function. The endothelium is the thin inner lining of your blood vessels, and when it works well, it helps the vessels widen, stay flexible, and regulate blood flow. Many older adults develop endothelial dysfunction, which leads to stiff arteries and higher blood pressure. Centenarians, however, often keep this function surprisingly intact, allowing their vessels to stay more youthful than those of the average senior, the study states.
“While centenarians experience age-related changes in the vasculature, such as arterial stiffening and endothelial dysfunction, to some extent, their vascular systems often remain healthier compared to the average elderly population,” the authors explain. “This may be associated with a combination of genetic factors, adaptive immune responses, and healthier lifestyles, which help mitigate the damage caused by inflammatory and oxidative processes over time.”
The results should encourage anyone looking to lengthen their lifespan, since lucky genes appear to represent only one piece of the longevity puzzle. According to the Cleveland Clinic, a few particular daily habits strongly influence both inflammation and endothelial health. For one, regular movement—even brisk walking—helps vessels stay flexible. Clinic experts also recommend heart-healthy foods, managing stress, limiting alcohol intake, and avoiding smoking as all helpful measures.
Whether you’re aiming to live to 100 or if you’re simply looking to live better today, your plan should remain the same: By reducing inflammation and protecting your blood vessels, you’ll enjoy more energy, fewer chronic problems, and a stronger chance of healthy aging.
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