Longevity: The boom in centenarians 
The oldest person, Maria de Jesus, died at the age of 115 years. She lived in the north-west of Portugal. The title of oldest person returns to an American of 114 years, Gertrude Baines, who lives in a nursing home in Los Angeles.
past, very few centenarians were considered almost as extraordinary creatures. They exceeded 30 or even 40 years life expectancy of "normal" people. The number of men and women who have surpassed the century of existence is estimated at more than 560 000 over the globe. And many of these venerable remain in good shape, although all do not run the marathon, as the narcotic Buster Martin, the English of 101 years who also trains in boxing and still has his job as a mechanic. Experts estimate that there is a true "longevity revolution" which primarily benefited women (they are four times more likely than men in the century club). And the French take the high ground in statistics just behind the Japanese. According to gerontologists, in France, at present, a woman of 77 years amounts to an ancestor of 62 in 1900.
Number of centenarians in France
1 January
1900-100
1950-200
1960-977
1970-1 122
1980-1 545
1990-3 760
2008-20
115 2015-17 977
2020-13 855
2030-30 029
2040-34
761 2050-60 302
Researchers questioned about factors that promote this dramatic and steady increase in life span (in 2050, 16.6% of our population will be over 75, against 8% today)
We take this article encouraging for our longevity to wish our readers our best wishes for 2009
Writing
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The Dispatch INED
