The Test to Assess Likelihood of Living to a Hundred

The researchers claim that the test they have devised can predict with up to 85 per cent accuracy whether an individual will live to be a hundred as they measure the length of their telomeres - a key aspect of ageing.

They found out the factors which people had in common that would make them more likely to enjoy a long and healthy life. These include the avoidance of life threatening conditions such as heart problems, cancer and Alzheimer's.

It is known that the predispostion towards becoming a centenarian runs in families, so clearly there is a key genetic factor involved, although unhealthy lifestyle factors such as smoking, unhealthy eating and lack of exercise do all take their toll on the body and hence can shorten lives.

The test is not appropriate for use with young people and in fact seems to be most effective in determining the rate of ageing for older people. In fact it enjoys a success rate of between 60 and 85 per cent although this varies according to the subject's age.

The advantage of such tests is that scientists can pick out groups of people, such as Japanese communities, who live to an advanced age . This will enable scientists to come up with new treatments for conditions associated with the ageing process.

Lead researcher Dr Thomas Perls said: "Further study of these genetic characteristics may yield a better understanding of the genetic and biological bases of delaying or escaping age-related diseases and achieving longer survival."

The research is a continuation of work done in 2010 and includes an additional sample of subjects with an average age of 107, giving more information regarding the factors involved in becoming a centenarian.

Such a group is extremely useful for research into genetic conditions affecting the ageing process as centenarians generally do not experience signs of age such as disability until their mid nineties.

It appears from the study that it is lifestyle factors that influence whether one will live to their late eighties: however after that it does seem that genetic factors determine whether a person will live to be a hundred and beyond.

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