Genetics, healthy eating or just plain luck are among the factors thought to be behind living to see your 100th birthday.

But despite the uncertainty around how to reach this milestone, there are a record number of centenarians living in England and Wales, data for the Office for National Statistics revealed this week.

In 2021, nearly 14,000 people lived to 100 in England and Wales — up by more than  a quarter in just a decade.

Here, longevity experts and Britain’s centenarian’s share the secrets to living a long and healthy life. 

Staying active

Keeping fit and active has long been highlighted by experts as a way of keeping your muscles, joints and mind healthy.

But it could also be a way of boosting your life expectancy. 

‘Evidence shows that being more physically active can lower the risk of depression and dementia, heart disease, stroke, Parkinson’s and some cancers’, Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, told MailOnline. 

But it’s not just about lifting weights and running marathons.

Simply moving more, taking the stairs or carrying shopping counts. 

Ms Abrahams said: ‘It’s simply about moving more each day, in whatever way works, within our own capabilities.

‘Outdoors exercising is said to have more benefits, so you could try joining walking groups, a walk in the country or just walk to the shops instead of driving, any kind of activity is better than no activity at all.’

‘It’s never too late to get active, so try to boost your daily physical activity’, says Ruth Goss, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

It not only improves blood pressure, it also lowers cholesterol, keeps weight under control and gives your mental health a boost, all ways of warding off diseases.

If you find an activity you enjoy, you are more likely to stick with it, advises Ms Goss.

Health chiefs recommend completing 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week, such as a brisk walk, swimming or cycling.

But our ability to keep up this amount of exercise can get trickier as we age. 

‘Where I live, I have plenty of stairs so even if I don’t go out, I’m active’, says Lauretta Boston, from London, who celebrated her 100th birthday in October 2022. 

Ms Boston, who told the ONS about her life and experience of being a centenarian, said: ‘There are things I find difficult to do because I am lumbered with a body that won’t do what I want it to do.’

But still driven to stay well and active Lauretta visits the shops. 

She said: ‘I have a little shopping trolley I can take to the shops and it’s nice to pick out what I want and go to the till.’

Living by the sea

Everyone enjoys the beach but moving to the sea-side could set you up to live to you’re 100th birthday, data suggests. 

Coastal areas have the highest proportion of centenarians, according to ONS data with a high proportion living on the south coast. 

But experts are not 100 per cent sure why.

It could be because centenarians living by the sea are ‘already healthy and wealthy people’ and choose to retire in coastal areas, a spokesperson the International Longevity Centre told MailOnline. 

It added that once in these areas, older people ‘are able to have a relatively high standard of living, heat their homes, have a good diet, exercise and have plenty of family and friends’.

Coastal environments are not only better for helping people get outside and be more active, but they also help to reduce stress, experts say. 

Spending time outside in nature can also improve your mood, reduce stress, improve physical health and improve self-esteem, according to mental health charity Mind. 

Getting enough sleep 

It’s not a mystery that getting enough shut-eye each night can improve your mood the next day. 

But good quality sleep could also add years to your life. 

Sleep is essential to helping memory and processing information, as well as removing waste products from brain cells, regulating your metabolism and maintaining the immune system.

Adults should be getting between six and eight hours a night, according to the NHS.

However, as we get older it can be hard to get enough sleep. 

‘Sleep patterns change as we get older and lack of sleep can directly affect the way we feel’, says Ms Abrahams.

She added: ‘If you’re having difficulty sleeping, try cutting back on daytime naps and reduce the amount of caffeine you drink. 

‘Try to make time to relax and unwind each evening, perhaps by reading a book, listening to the radio, or having a bath.’

Learning a new skill 

Keeping your mind sharp by learning a new skill could boost your brain power in old age. 

Whether it is learning to play an instrument or a new language, exercising your brain by stimulating the learning process can help improve your overall health. 

Knowledge has been shown to pay off in a 2014 study which found that learning two or more languages in adulthood can slow down age-related cognitive decline.  

‘Being positive and open, willing to try new things, and engaged with what’s going on around us have been shown to be important in sustaining our wellbeing as we get older’, says Ms Abrahams. 

She suggests learning something new or joining a new club can help you to ‘retain a sense of purpose’.

She said: ‘Volunteering to help others, joining a local group of some kind or learning a new skill like a language or musical instrument are just a few examples of things worth considering if you’re looking at how to retain a sense of purpose and get the most out of life.’

Staying social

Just like learning a new skill, staying social can also keep your mind active. 

It’s been shown that older people who socialise daily, weekly or monthly have a significantly greater chance of a longer life than those who socialised the least or not at all.

The long-term study by researchers from Sichuan University West China Hospital looked at data for 28,563 Chinese people who were asked about their socialising habits.

Experts say this could be because spending time with friends and family can relive stress and anxiety.

It also encourages people to get outside and be more physically active. 

Ms Abrahams said: ‘Spending time with others can help you feel more connected and less anxious. 

‘Spending time with family or friends can remind you of happy memories, while meeting new people gives you the chance to share different experiences, thoughts and ideas.’

Age UK encourages people to join clubs, volunteer in the community or even connect with others safely online. 

Ms Boston also puts her long life down to having plenty of friends and family around.

She said: ‘I live alone, but I never get lonely. I never seem to have enough time, because everything is a big effort and I’m so slow. It takes me time to do everything, so the days seem short. I also have my music and my family and friends.

‘My sister is 94 and I have had friends who also lived a long time. Two of them lived to 90 and one to 102, but unfortunately they have passed on. That’s what happens. 

‘Friends I have made more recently don’t know me as well as friends I knew when I was young. They can be very good friends but can only really see you as you are now.’

Eating well and stay hydrated  

Eating a healthy and balanced diet is a known way of slashing your risk of cancers and circulatory diseases.

More than 6million deaths globally could be avoided just by reducing the intake of processed foods, trans and saturated fats and added salt and sugar, according to Dr Xinyao Liu, from the Central South University, 

Dr Liu, who was the study author on research published in the European Heart Journal – Quality of Care and Clinical Outcomes, also told Diabetes UK that these heart-related disease deaths could also be reduced if people increased their intake of fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts and wholegrains.  

Ms Goss, of the BHF, also urges people to eat theses foods to help protect their heart and reduce their risk of a heart attack or stroke.

She told MailOnline: ‘Time and again the Mediterranean diet comes out on top, with studies linking it to longer life expectancy. 

‘This includes fish as well as plenty of fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, nuts, seeds, beans and lentils with fat from unsaturated sources.’

Experts say what we eat and drink gets even more important as we get older. 

Ms Abrahams said: ‘It’s good to remember that one person’s nutritional needs can be very different from another’s. Finding a balance that’s enjoyable, varied, manageable and sustainable for you is important.’

She added: ‘Sometimes we may find that we lose our appetite as we get older, unintentional weight loss can be harmful so it’s important that we continue to eat, something is better than nothing.

‘It’s important to drink enough to avoid dehydration and make sure our bodies function as they should. The official recommendations are to drink 6-8 cups of fluid a day – that’s about 1.5 litres or 2.5 pints. All hot and cold drinks count towards hydration.’

Have regular check ups 

Staying on top of eye tests, hearing check ups and dental appointments can help catch diseases and infections early on. 

As we age, our eyesight and hearing changes which can cause a loss of balance and affect quality of life. 

Ms Abrahams said: ‘Eyesight changes as we age and can lead to a trip or loss of balance. Get your eyes and glasses checked regularly, at least every two years to detect any vision problems early.

‘Problems with your ears can severely affect your balance, and the risk of hearing loss increases with age. Talk with your GP if you notice hearing changes are affecting your day-to-day living or social life.’

But these check ups will also flag early signs of cancer. 

Whether you have a full set of teeth or dentures its still important to go for regular check-ups at the dentist. 

‘Your dentist will help make sure there are no problems developing and help prevent future problems. At the dentist, you can also get checked for signs of mouth and neck cancer’, says Ms Abrahams. 

Ms Goss also stresses the importance of knowing your numbers and keeping on top of your blood pressure and cholesterol, if you want to live into old age. 

The nurse said: ‘Prioritising your heart health at every age is one of the best ways to increase your chances of living a long and healthy life. 

‘If you smoke, consider quitting as this is one of the best steps you can take for your overall health, and the earlier you quit the bigger the benefit. 

‘Knowing your numbers – blood pressure and cholesterol – can also help you to spot the early warning signs and take steps to ward off future problems including heart attacks and strokes.’

A Russian general who was keeper of secrets about Vladimir Putin‘s £1 billion Black Sea palace has died mysteriously in jail.

General Gennady Lopyrev, 69, suddenly became ill on Monday – gasping for breath – and was told by doctors he had previously undiagnosed leukaemia.

There are now suspicions he was poisoned just as he became eligible for parole.

The general was jailed for ten years in 2017 by a military court accused of bribe-taking and illegal possession of ammunition – charges he always denied.

Serving in the Federal Protection Service [FSO], he personally oversaw the construction of Putin’s gargantuan clifftop Gelendzhik Palace, a private residence allegedly built with state cash.

He was also responsible for the dictator’s official residence Bocharov Ruchei in Sochi.

Up to his jailing he had been one of Putin’s closest security aides, and was seen with the Russian president and then British premier Tony Blair in Moscow in 2002.

It comes as another Russian general, who led the invasion of Ukraine until he was purged by Putin, also met a suspiciously sudden end this week.

Having been healthy on Sunday when he spoke to his son Alexander, Gen Lopyrev suddenly became ill on Monday complaining of speaking and breathing difficulties, reported Telegram channel VChK-OGPU.

‘He could not breathe and had a hoarse voice,’ said the channel likening the symptoms to those of Putin foe Alexei Navalny who was poisoned with nerve agent Novichok.

Lopyrev was taken on Monday from penal colony number 3 in Ryazan region to two hospitals.

He told his son Alexander by phone: ‘I was taken to Skopin [hospital] first, and they found nothing conclusive.

‘Now they brought me to Ryazan regional hospital, and said I had leukaemia.’

The son said: ‘But isn’t leukaemia a cancer… Surely it couldn’t catch you in just two days?’

Speaking to media, Alexander said: ‘I also spoke to the chief of their medical unit, who said his heart check returned normal, and lungs were clear.

‘It is hard to say what exactly happened. We were getting ready to apply for his parole, because it was time [to apply]… And now this call [to say he had died].

‘It’s all very strange, and way too fast.’

His father was extremely fit and routinely practised gymnastics while in the penal colony, Alexander claimed. 

‘Everything was fine on Sunday,’ he said. ‘We had a chat via a payphone, there wasn’t a single complaint about his health.

‘His voice was energetic, he spoke about his usual sports like gymnastics and stretching. Every day he walked 15km [9 miles].

‘On Monday he called with his voice suddenly sounding hoarse. By evening on Monday… he called from [hospital in] Ryazan, saying he felt really unwell…he said he struggled to breathe.’

Viktor Boborykin, chairman of the Public Monitoring Commission for the region, said there was ‘nothing criminal’ in his death.

Navalny had earlier identified Gen Lopyrev as being responsible for Gelendzhik and knowing all the secrets of its funding.

Putin’s Black Sea palace includes a pole-dancing hookah boudoir, casino, and ‘aqua disco’.

It has a 16-storey underground complex which has been compared with the lair of a James Bond villain.

A mining engineer who worked on the construction it had indeed been built for the president and ‘there is a whole anthill in the rock under the house’ including a nuclear shelter.

The subterranean maze includes a cliff face loggia overlooking the sea and a vast wine cellar.

The death of Gen Lopyrev followed that of Col-Gen Gennady Zhidko, 58.

Zhidko briefly led the invasion of Ukraine as commander of the Southern Grouping of Forces before giving way to General Sergei ‘Armageddon’ Surovikin in October.

The 58-year-old also served as the Chief of Staff of the Russian Armed Forces in Syria in 2016, and in 2018 was appointed Commander of the Eastern Military District.

The high-ranking official – who was awarded the highest honorary title, the Hero of Russia, for his service in 2017 – later became deputy minister of defence in 2021.

Zhidko was ousted from his role in Ukraine in October 2022 – as commander of Putin’s ‘special military operation’ – after the failure to grab the city of Kharkiv.

He had been seen as in charge since April after taking over from ousted General Alexander Dvornikov, aka the ‘Butcher of Syria’.

The role led to Western sanctions against Zhidko.

Surovikin, who replaced him, was later demoted from the role by chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov.

Surovikin remained his deputy but is believed to have been detained in June amid suspicion he knew of plans to stage a coup against Putin’s regime by Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Little had been seen of Zhidko in recent months.

His death was confirmed by the loyalist governor of Khabarovsk region Mikhail Degtyarev, who expressed his condolences, but there was no official announcement.

The reports did not say where Zhidko died. He was seen as having one of the best military brains in Russia.

The deaths of Generals Lopyrev and Zhidko are just the latest in a long line of suspicious fatalities among the upper echelons of Russia’s military and business elite in recent months.

Major General Vladimir Makarov, 67, was in charge of ‘combating extremism’ in Russia and was found shot dead in February.

He reportedly led the hunting down and suppression of opponents of the Russian president, as well as journalists deemed hostile to the Kremlin.

Makarov also took action against young people who protested against Putin.

Putin issued a decree to fire him in January, though his reasons for doing so remain unclear.

Makarov’s wife Valentina was in a country house with her husband in Golikovo village near Moscow at 7am when she heard a gunshot, local reports said.

Some reports said a Berkut-2M hunting rifle was found nearby. Other accounts said a pistol was discovered.

His wife summoned a family member and called an ambulance but paramedics could not save Makarov, said reports, and he was pronounced dead.

The dead general’s family were being interrogated by the Russian Investigative Committee, reported Moskovsky Komsomolets, a Moscow-based daily newspaper.

The publication said that firearms were kept inside the house. 

Relatives said he ‘did not know what to do’ after Putin axed him.

VChK-OGPU Telegram channel cited a source saying Makarov had been in ‘deep depression’ following his ousting.

He had been deputy head of the Interior Ministry’s Main Directorate for Combating Extremism, which was also responsible for countering terrorism.

From December 24 to 26, there was a string of four particularly mysterious deaths. 

On December 26, Pavel Antonov – the richest deputy of the Russian Duma (parliament) and a Putin critic – died in India falling out of a hotel window.

His companion Vladimir Bidenov was found dead in the same hotel four days earlier.

Aleksey Maslov, 69, the former chief of Russian Ground Forces, died in hospital on 25 December while Aleksandr Buzakov – head of Russia’s ‘admiralty shipyards’ for a decade – died on December 24.

Last July, retired Major General of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation Yevgeny Lobachev, 76, was found dead in Moscow. His death was also ruled as suicide.

Other recent deaths have included the editor of a popular Russian propaganda magazine, the vice-president of Gazprombank and a senior Gazprom official.

One man burned alive after falling asleep with a lit cigarette in Moscow, another fell from a balcony, and another fell down a flight of stairs.

Suspicious deaths of notable Russians have not been confined to Russia’s borders, either. In April, Sergey Protosenya – Former Deputy Chairman of Novatek – was found hanged from a handrail. His wife and daughter were found killed with stab wounds.

Businessman Mikhail Watford was found dead at his home in Surrey, England, while another – Vladimir Bidenov – died in France after hitting his head on a railing.

By Stacy Liberatore For Dailymail.com

Published: 14:41 EDT, 16 August 2023 | Updated: 14:42 EDT, 16 August 2023

Famously, the Battle of the Bulge in the winter of 1944/45 was one of the largest and bloodiest armed conflict of the Second World War. 

Taking place in densely forested Ardennes region between Belgium and Luxembourg, it was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. 

Months after it ended in January 1945, the war came to a close, and for almost 80 years since the region has held its secrets under the trees – until now

Researchers have used drone-mounted LiDAR – which emits pulses of light to create 3D models and maps – to ‘see through’ the thick forest canopy. 

They found nearly 1,000 features within the landscape, including dugouts, bomb craters and even artillery emplacements where troops positioned their guns. 

A new study detailing the findings, led by experts at Ghent University in Belgium, has been published in the journal Antiquity. 

‘The Ardennes Counteroffensive, or the Battle of the Bulge, was one of the most significant military campaigns of the latter part of the Second World War in western Europe,’ they say. 

‘Although this is a “high-profile” battlefield, studied intensively by military historians and the subject of significant attention in museums and the popular media, little has been published on its material remains. 

‘Our results, documenting many different types of remains and several well-defined clusters, markedly increases knowledge about the conflict that played out across this landscape.’ 

The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, started on December 16, 1944, in the latter stages of World War Two and ended January 25.

The Germans launched a massive attack on Allied forces in the area around the Ardennes forest in Belgium and Luxembourg. 

The Germans had some initial success, pushing westwards through the middle of the American line, creating the ‘bulge’ that gave the battle its name. 

But quick arrival of Allied reinforcements and the Americans’ tenacious defence slowed the German advance and its success was short-lived. 

Catastrophic losses on the German side prevented Germany from resisting the advance of Allied forces, and less than four months after the end of the Battle of the Bulge, Germany surrendered. 

Now, what remains of the site of the Battle of the Bulge is heavily forested Ardennes landscape, still concealing secrets of the conflict the best part of a century later.  

The research team focused on 4.4 hectare (473,000 sq ft) area of Belgium located between St Vith and Schönberg, in the heavily fought-over central zone. 

Until now, dense forest cover in the area has meant that most traces of the battle in the landscape remained hidden from traditional cameras mounted on planes, or even satellites. 

Aerial photographs cannot see through the tree canopy, while exploring the whole area on foot has not been a realistic option due to its size. 

They therefore used unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, also known as drones) equipped with LiDAR – a remote sensing technology that uses reflected light to create 3D models and maps of nearby objects. 

Unlike more traditional methods, LiDAR penetrates the tree canopy and reflects 3D forms of archaeological features hidden under vegetation. 

Overall, the technology found 941 features within the landscape, many of which were subsequently visited and confirmed. 

Among them were dugouts used by the troops and bomb craters, which are depressions in the ground caused by the explosion of a mine or bombshell. 

Also found were artillery emplacements (positions for placing a heavy guns or other weapons) as well as fox holes and slit trenches (small pits used by defensive troops for cover, especially from bomb or shell fragments). 

Some of the grooves in the landscape were labelled by the team as ‘undefined’, due to their ‘poorly defined or irregular shape’. 

Although they could all be considered simply depressions in the ground, the researchers were able to tell the subtle difference between the features due to the technology. 

Study author Birger Stichelbaut told MailOnline: ‘Because of the high spatial resolution and the possibility to make 3D cross sections of the features, it was possible to make up a typology of features based on their shape and depth. 

‘By drawing parallels with historical literatures and wartime field manuals we were able to discern seven types of features.’  

By visiting the newly identified features on the ground, the researchers were also able to tie them to specific events.

For example, through the discovery of German objects at American artillery embankments, the team determined that German forces made use of abandoned American fortifications. 

These objects included an unused grenade, German cartridges and a broken plate – heavily suggesting the location was used after the Americans. 

Meanwhile, one dugout with a bottle or lightbulb shape, snapped by the researchers, indicated a ‘clearly defined entrance’ that would have been covered and reinforced with logs. 

Overall, some of the larger features may have functioned as shelters and for storage, while some of the smaller ones may have served as waste pits or latrines. 

The team say their study provides an understanding of the extent and significance of the battle for the first time, as only 11 features were known by prior research carried out in 2008. 

What’s more, their technique can be applied to other wooded areas in Europe, so could have implications for our understanding of multiple WWII battlefields. 

‘Our case study makes clear that there is potential for enhancing public awareness of and access to some sites in the Ardennes,’ say the authors. 

‘The recognition and designation of these traces of war as heritage sites could help guarantee their long-term protection from destructive practices, including the mechanised clearfelling of forest.’ 

‘Our case study makes clear that there is potential for enhancing public awareness of and access to some sites in the Ardennes, a region where battlefield tourism already plays an important role.’  

 

Russia today jailed one of its most eminent hypersonic scientists for allegedly leaking secrets to a NATO country as a western diplomat warned that Putin and his spies ‘see treason lurking around every corner.’

Professor Valery Golubkin, 71, has been sent to a strict regime penal colony for 12 years after being convicted of high treason by the Moscow City Court.

Golubkin, a professor at a Moscow institute studying aerodynamics who is seen as a world expert in hypersonic technology, was detained in 2020 on suspicion of handing over secrets to an unnamed NATO country.

According to reports, he was accused of handing the information involving aerodynamics to scientists from the Netherlands.

Golubkin worked for the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and at the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI).

He was the author of more than 120 scientific papers in the field, and was engaged in theoretical developments while having only the third form of access to state secrets – suggesting he never worked on ‘top secret’ projects.

Multiple top scientists have been held on national security accusations by Vladimir Putin’s regime in the past two years with the FSB security service accused of purging some of Russia’s top academics.

Critics of the Kremlin say the arrests often stem from unfounded paranoia, something the authorities deny.

Golubkin insisted no secrets were involved and he only shared information cleared by the Russian authorities.

‘Putin and his spies now see treason lurking around every corner,’ said a Western diplomat in Moscow.

Putin has prioritised the development of hypersonic missile technology, yet this has failed to bring him much advantage in the war in Ukraine.

Moscow often boasts about its hypersonic weapons (that are able to travel more than five times the speed of sound, or Mach 5) as being ‘unstoppable’.

However, few have been seen in action, and Kyiv has said it has been able to shoot down such missiles in a major blow to Putin’s goal of developing an arsenal that can rival that of the United States and other western nations.

Specifically, Ukraine said in May that it had shot down six Russian Kinzhal (Dagger) missiles. Russia dismissed Kyiv’s report.

Golubkin’s trail was held in secret.

His lawyer Alexander Timoshenko said earlier: ‘He does not admit guilt. 

‘He is a theoretical physicist, he explained to me what he was doing, [concerning] theoretical physics. He did not have access to state secrets.’

Another Russian colleague and Golubkin’s supervisors Anatoly Gubanov, was arrested for high treason in December 2020.

Golubkin said his arrest was in connection to Gubanov’s testimony, and that he passed two of his reports on to co-workers in the Netherlands on Gubanov’s orders.

According to Russia Free Press, another of Golubkin’s lawyers Ivan Pavlov said Russia’s FSB security agency ‘saw treason in the fact that Golubkin took part in the official international project HEXAFLY-INT (High-Speed Experimental Fly Vehicles).’

He did so, Pavlov said, ‘under a contract concluded between TsAGI and the European Institute, during which, at the direction of his superiors, he sent reports on the work performed.’ 

Human rights project Pervy Otdel, said: ‘Three commissions confirmed that there was no classified information [in the Golubkin case]… Those reports were available to be published and shared with international partners.’ 

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Updated: 15:26 EDT, 26 June 2023