Longevity - what does it really take?

A dinner conversation last night with my father about my great grandmother sparked some thoughts about longevity and when the Kenny Chesney song 'Don't Blink' blasted through the radio this morning on my way to work, I found it more like fate that I should write about it. What is it about longevity that makes it so sought after and yet so hard for many to obtain? Is it the actual fear of dying, and the unknown about what happens the moment after physical death? Is it a fear about not having enough time to see what one wants to see and do what one wants to do? Is it an unconscious desire for immortality ingrained in our heads from super heroes or ancient mythology? Or is it a primitive desire to pass knowledge about survival from one generation to another? Humans are lucky, in the respect that we get to grow up with past generations of family and keep those bonds, unlike many species who perish after reproduction or cut ties with their young.

But what happens to us on all levels if we can achieve life to late 90s or into the 100 years?

My great grandmother died at 98 of 'unknown causes related to old age' yet she was in perfect health, perfectly mobile, and could see and hear fine. Her mental capacity was perfect: she spoke 5 languages (Arabic, Turkish, Armenian, French, English) and was a master of card games. So why did she die at 98 if she was in perfect health and if MDs at that time (mid-80s) thought she would live for another decade? Those closest to her at that point said, "She just gave up. She outlived 1 of her children, 3 of her grandchildren, her 5 siblings and their spouses, her husband, his 5 siblings and all of their spouses, and all of her friends. What a terrible thing to be the only one left."

So how does one get to 98 years old and still be in perfect health? That is a question which has been driving research for decades and it is combination of efforts. One does need to be genetically inclined to live past the average life expectancy period (read: that doesn't mean your lifestyle can't kill you first), one needs to be active throughout life, and one needs to consume as natural a diet as possible (read: I did not say a fat-free and sugar-free diet, I said 'natural'). Which obviously is very easily said and not so easy to execute. Since this will be a super long if I delve into everything here - we will do a part 2.