Exercise and diet choices are also a factor in what age you live to
Most of us have had the dream that we live to see 100 and get the telegram from the Queen, but those select few who do, have simply been dealth a good set of genetics, according to a new study.
The research involved 500 people aged between 95 and 109 and they were compared with over 3,000 others born during the same period.
They found that those who had bad diets, lifestyles, done little exercise and smoked everyday lived just as long and sometimes longer than their friends.
The study was carried out by researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.
Professor Nir Barzilai, director of the college's Institute of Ageing Research, interviewed an 109-year-old woman first, who told him that she had smoked 40 cigarettes a day for 90 years. It's amazing that she has managed to live so long.
He says: "Although this study demonstrates that centenarians can be obese, smoke and avoid exercise, those lifestyle habits are not good choices for most of us who do not have a family history of longevity."
It must be made clear that this research does not mean that most people can lead unhealthy lifestyles and not expect to pay the price.
The people studied said that they lived so long because of good genes, then diet and physical exercise.
Femalefirst Taryn Davies