Humans may be living longer on average these days, but only a fraction of us will live to see our 100th birthday. Yet the reasons why only a select few will become centenarians remain a mystery to scientists.

However, the latest work published by my colleagues and I has just uncovered one factor that may be key to the long lives that centenarians experience.

My research team has found that people that live to 100 seem to possess the superhuman ability to avoid disease.

Centenarians are of such great interest to scientists because they may hold the key to understanding how we can live longer — and live longer in better health.