Late-life health kicks can increase a person's chances of becoming a centenarian, according to a team of doctors and scientists in China and the US.
"Adhering to a healthy lifestyle appears to be important even at late ages," the researchers said, after assessing Chinese health survey data.
The assessment of over 5,000 elderly Chinese people, most of them older than 80 and including over 1,500 who made it to their 100th birthday, was published by the American Medical Association.
The findings indicate that "constructing strategic plans to improve lifestyle behaviours among all older adults may play a key role in promoting healthy ageing and longevity," according to the team, which carried out the research as most similar studies have been focused on people in their 60s.
The information provided was self-reported by the people surveyed and took in factors such as alcohol intake, diet, exercise, smoking and weight.
The team warned that they could not properly account for the effect of "socioeconomic status, such as household income and occupation," which elsewhere have been shown to affect health and longevity.