The health of Homo sapiens is failing. Chronic diseases and health problems such as acne vulgaris, cancer, myopia, and heart disease are today so common that they are by some considered to be a natural part of human life. Only a select few live long lives, free of disease. These healthy individuals are often referred to as lucky, as if the primary reason they don’t get sick is that they are favored by God or the universe, or have inherited a unique set of genes that protect them from disease. Sometimes, food, heritage, and lifestyle are also pulled into the equation. We ask healthy centenarians about what they’ve eaten throughout their life, how much sleep they’ve gotten, and what kinds of exercises they’ve been doing, in an attempt to discover the secrets to healthy living.
