• Ágnes Keleti, an Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast, has died at the age of 103.
• She entered her first Olympic games at 31, after injury and the Holocaust stalled her career.
• Keleti attributed her longevity to loving life and her success to always going the extra mile.

When she died on Thursday, Ágnes Keleti was the oldest living Olympic gold medallist, at 103 years old.

These days, Olympic gymnasts in their mid-20s are seen as old. But Keleti competed in her first Olympic games at 31.

She had hoped to compete in the 1940 Olympics in Tokyo, but they were canceled because of the Second World War. Then, in 1941, she was thrown out of her gymnastics club in Hungary because she was Jewish, and fled to a rural village. There, she worked as a maid using false papers she bought from a Christian girl who was a similar age.

When the war ended, she qualified for the 1948 London Olympics, but tore a ligament in her ankle and couldn't compete.

So, her first Olympic appearance was at the 1952 Helsinki games, where she won four medals, including one gold. And in the 1956 Melbourne games, she won four gold and two silver medals at the age of 35.

In an 2018 interview, Keleti said, "I love to live, I love to do gymnastics."

Longevity is mainly determined by luck and genetics, but aspects of Keleti's lifestyle may have also contributed to her reaching 103.

Having a passion

After she stopped being a competitive gymnast, she moved to Israel in 1957 and set up its national gymnastics team. She could still do the splits into her 90s.

Of her gymnastics career, she told the International Society of Olympic Historians: "I always gave it my best, always went the extra mile, and never gave up. That may be the secret of my success."

One 2019 study by researchers at the University of Michigan found that for its almost 7,000 participants, who were all over 50 years old, having a strong life purpose was associated with a lower chance of dying from any cause.

Music and friendship

Keleti played the cello all her life, and was a professional musician while training for the 1948 Olympics.

While gymnastics would have helped her physical health, playing the cello may have helped her cognitive health in older age. A 2024 study published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry on 1,107 adults with an average age of 67.82 found that older people who played an instrument had better memory and cognitive skills than those who didn't.

Plus, she told the International Society of Olympic Historians that she spent her 100th birthday "in the circle of loved ones and by being surrounded and respected by so many."

Research shows that having an active social life is beneficial for longevity, with one 2023 study published in the journal BMC Medicine finding that among 458,146 British adults aged between 37 and 73, participants were 77% more likely to die from any cause if they were socially isolated.

• Tomiko Itooka was the oldest person in the world when she died last month aged 116.
• Another 116-year-old, Inah Canabarro Lucas of Brazil, now holds the title.
• Here are the two women's very different longevity secrets.

The world's oldest person who died at the age of 116, and her successor, have very different secrets to longevity.

Tomiko Itooka, who lived in Ashiya, Japan, died on December 29 at the age of 116 years and 220 days.

She was succeeded by Inah Canabarro Lucas, a nun who lives in Porto Alegre, Brazil, who was 116 and 212 days old as of January 6. Lucas is one of only three living people confirmed to have been born before 1910.

It's extremely rare to live to 116 — and just 0.03% of the US population is over 100, according to the Pew Research Center's analysis of US Census data. A combination of genetics, lifestyle, and luck, are though to contribute to a person's longevity — but we don't know for sure why some people live so long.

Here's what they both credited their longevity to.

Itooka said bananas and a Japanese drink helped her live to 116

Itooka married at 20 and was an office manager at her husband's factory during World War 2, according to LongeviQuest, an organization that verifies the ages of supercentenarians. She was very active and enjoyed hiking. She twice climbed Mount Ontake, which is 10,062 feet high, and did a pilgrimage of more than 600 miles to 33 temples in the Kansai region in her 80s.

Itooka also drank a popular Japanese fermented drink called Calpis every morning, LongeviQuest reported, and loved bananas — two things she credited her longevity to.

There's some evidence that lactic acid bacteria, which are found in Calpis, could be beneficial for longevity, according to a 2024 review published in the journal Aging and Disease. However, the researchers say further investigation is needed.

Fermented foods are generally great for gut health because they increase the diversity of microbes in the digestive system, epidemiologist and nutrition expert Tim Spector previously told Business Insider.

Hiking could also have contributed to Itooka's longevity. Such activity can offset the life-shortening impacts of being sedentary, a 2016 American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine article found.

Lucas attributed her longevity to God

Lucas was a teacher who became a Catholic nun at the age of 26.

She thinks God is the secret to her longevity. "He is the secret of life. He is the secret of everything," she told LongeviQuest last February.

Researchers from LongeviQuest previously told BI that religiousness is a common thread among the oldest people in Latin America they have verified.

A 2018 study by researchers at Ohio State University on 1,600 obituaries supports this. It found that people whose obituaries mentioned religious activities lived, on average, 10 years longer than those whose obituaries did not. The researchers thought this could be because religion gives people social support and opportunities to volunteer.

• Business Insider has spoken to many centenarians about their tips for living to 100.
• Many believe that eating well has helped them to live longer.
• Their tips include eating whole foods and having the occasional treat.

Living to 100 is relatively rare: only 0.03% of the US population are centenarians, according to an analysis by Pew Research Center.

But Pew predicts that the number of centenarians in the US will quadruple by 2054, as life expectancy increases. Genes, environmental factors, and luck play big roles in how long someone might live, but lifestyle choices matter, too.

Here's how eight centenarians who have spoken to Business Insider eat, which may have contributed to their health and longevity.

Eat fresh, whole foods

Many of the centenarians BI has reported on eat lots of fresh, whole foods — and not much meat.

102-year-old Deborah Szekely has been a pescatarian all her life, and grows a lot of her own vegetables on the ranch in Baja California, Mexico, where she still works.

Pearl Taylor, also 102, based in Dayton, Ohio, said she eats a mostly vegetarian diet, and meat on occasion. She also swears by her homemade green juice, which contains aloe root, celery, parsley, ginger, and water sweetened with Splenda.

Meanwhile, Lousie Jean Signore, the second oldest person in New York at 112 years old, follows the Mediterranean diet, which is high in whole foods such as fruit, vegetables, beans, and olive oil.

Signore eats salad, fruit, and vegetables every night, and adds tomato sauce, garlic, or olive oil to all her main meals, as BI previously reported.

The Mediterranean diet is widely considered to be the healthiest way to eat, and research has linked it to improved heart health, weight loss, and preventing cognitive decline.

Cook at home

Taylor prepares all of her meals and hasn't eaten a pre-packaged meal in "years," she said.

This is common among centenarians, many of whom grew up before fast food and microwaveable meals became widely available.

For example, 101-year-old William, from Toronto, cooks all his meals, featuring lots of sardines, which he thinks are his longevity secret.

Jack Van Nordheim, 101, known as Uncle Jack on social media, never developed a taste for fast food, instead preferring simple homemade meals such as boiled chicken.

Eating more home cooking can mean people eat fewer ultra-processed foods, which have been linked to major health problems, including depression, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

A 2017 study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity found that participants who cooked at home five times a week were more likely to follow healthy ways of eating such as the Mediterranean diet; eat more fruit and vegetables; and be a healthy weight.

Eat moderately…

Many Japanese centenarians follow the principle of "hara hachi bu," which means they eat until they are 80% full, Yumi Yamamoto, who works for LongeviQuest, an organization that verifies the ages of supercentenarians, told BI.

Yamamoto's great-grandma, Shigeyo Nakachi, was the second-oldest living person in Japan when she died in 2021. Yamamoto said that Nakachi never ate to excess and wouldn't finish a whole chocolate bar in one sitting.

Similarly, the mantra of Ireland's oldest man, 108-year-old Martin McEvilly, who cycled regularly until he was 99, is "everything in moderation."

For McEvilly, this means only drinking alcohol on Sunday evenings, when he enjoys three pints of Guinness.

… but treat yourself

Although Japanese supercentenarians tend to eat in moderation, Yamamoto said they still treat themselves.

Kane Tanaka, the second oldest person in recorded history, who lived to 119, enjoyed a bottle of Coca-Cola every day, she said.

Likewise, Szekely enjoys the occasional serving of coffee ice cream, and Uncle Jack attributes his longevity to eating dark chocolate and honey daily.

Experts agree that incorporating treats into your diet can make healthy eating more sustainable. Dietitian Nicole Ludlam-Raine promotes the 80/20 diet, where you eat healthily 80% of the time and allow yourself to eat what you like the other 20%.

• Dotty Burgess was married to her husband for 77 years.
• Now 103, she shared her advice for a long-lasting, healthy relationship with Business Insider.
• It includes having things to look forward to and accommodating your partner's needs.

In 1944, a 23-year-old model wrote a letter to a pilot-in-training at his mother's request. He replied right away, and a few weeks later they were engaged.

Dotty Burgess, from San Jose and now 103, was married to her husband Frank Burgess for 77 "wonderful" years before he died in 2021. She now lives at Revel Nevada, a retirement community south of Las Vegas.

Burgess told Business Insider that her biggest advice for a long-lasting relationship is to choose your partner well.

She also shared some tips for maintaining a healthy relationship once you've found that person.

Know that issues won't last forever

"We realized how important it was to stay together throughout the storms, knowing nothing lasts forever," Burgess said.

This echoes advice psychologists have previously shared with BI. John Gottman, a psychologist who has studied relationships for 42 years, said people in successful relationships don't just let things go. Instead they "repair" their relationship after conflicts with gentle communication.

April Eldemire, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Florida, said that in a healthy relationship, partners work through issues as a team.

Know the things that annoy your partner and avoid them

Burgess said she and her husband knew to avoid doing things that made the other angry.

A 2019 study published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin found that partners accommodate each other's needs more when they have a committed, securely attached relationship, feel valued by their partner, and maintain a strong sense of self.

If you do end up angry with your partner, BI previously reported on a five-second trick to help resolve conflicts in a relationship.

Always have something to look forward to

"No matter how big or small it is, always have something to look forward to that keeps the adrenaline and excitement in your life," Burgess said.

For her, that was taking a walk with her husband, or having an ice-cream cone with their granddaughter.

She and Frank also loved taking road trips together. "The most magnificent and beautiful thing I have ever seen was the rainforest in the state of Washington" on one of these road trips, she said.

Feeling excited to build a life together and enjoying spending time with your partner are signs of happiness in a relationship, Suzanne Degges-White, a licensed counselor and professor at Northern Illinois University, previously told BI.

• The world's oldest man, John Tinniswood, has died aged 112.
• Tinniswood had three pieces of life advice for younger people.
• They were: have a broad outlook, do everything in moderation, and always try your best.

In the UK in 1912, the Suffragettes were vandalizing post boxes to win women the right to vote and the Titanic was registered in the port city of Liverpool before its maiden, and only, voyage. Also registered in Liverpool that year was the birth of John Tinniswood.

Tinniswood, who was born on August 26, 1912, died on Monday at the age of 112, at his care home in Southport, UK.

Guinness World Records declared him the world's oldest man earlier this year, after the previous titleholder, Juan Vicente Pérez, from Venezuela, died at the age of 114 and 311 days.

The title could now fall to João Marinho Neto, a 112-year-old Brazilian, but his age hasn't yet been validated by Guinness World Records.

Tinniswood was also the world's oldest surviving male World War II veteran. He served in an admin role for the British Army Pay Corps, which involved logistical work including organizing food supplies and locating stranded soldiers. He then worked in admin and accountancy for the Royal Mail, the UK's postal service, as well as Shell and BP before he retired in 1972.

Tinniswood was married to his wife, Blodwen Tinniswood, for 44 years before she died in 1986. The couple had one child, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

The staff at his residential home described Tinniswood as a "big chatterbox," per Guinness World Records. At 111 years old, he was mobile and independent, managing his own finances and getting out of bed unassisted.

When he earned the title of oldest living man, Tinniswood was unphazed, telling Guinness World Records it "doesn't make any difference to me at all. I accept it for what it is."

Tinniswood had 3 pieces of life advice for younger people

Tinniswood's biggest piece of advice for people wanting to live as long as him was to do everything in moderation.

"If you drink too much, or you eat too much, or you walk too much, if you do too much of anything, you're going to suffer eventually," he said. "Never over-tax your system" if you want a healthy life, he told BBC News.

He didn't follow a specific diet, telling Guinness World Records, "I eat what they give me, and so does everybody else" — apart from fish and chips, a British classic, for dinner every Friday.

He didn't smoke and rarely drank alcohol, two habits that are great for longevity.

In 2022, he told BBC News that it's also important to "broaden your vision."

"Don't stay with one thing all the time or you'll be on a narrow path," he said.

But no matter what you're doing, "always do the best you can, whether you're learning something or whether you're teaching someone," he told Guinness World Records. "Give it all you've got. Otherwise, it's not worth bothering with."

This echoes research linking longevity to a positive mindset and a sense of purpose.

Ultimately, though, Tinniswood thought he mostly reached his old age out of "pure luck."

"You either live long or you live short, and you can't do much about it," he said.

Business Insider previously reported on Naomi Whitehead — the oldest person in the US — and her longevity tips.

• Herlda Senhouse, formerly the second oldest person in the US, died this week at the age of 113.
• She thought lifestyle factors could have contributed to her longevity as well as her genes.
• They included not having kids, eating healthily, and being part of a community.

Herlda Senhouse, born in 1911, appreciated three things about 2024: electric light, indoor plumbing, and having a Black female vice president.

Senhouse, who died at age 113 on Saturday, lived in Wellesley, Massachusetts. She worked as a housekeeper and nanny for white families, and faced racism including being denied the opportunity to study nursing, she told The Telegraph in 2021. Senhouse founded the Boston Clique Club, a group of dancers and musicians who raised money to help educate Black students in Boston.

"I never thought I'd see a Black woman vice president, which is amazing, and I'm so happy," she said.

Senhouse wanted to keep helping others even after she died: she donated her brain to researchers at Boston University, who are studying whether genes help some people live past 100 for the New England Centenarian Study.

As well as her genes, Senhouse attributed her longevity to a few lifestyle factors.

Don't have children to avoid stress

Senhouse often said that the secret to her longevity was not having children, Stephanie Hawkinson, a public information officer for the town of Wellesley told US News and World Report on Monday.

One 2017 study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health found that people without children didn't live as long as parents, possibly because of the support they received. But Senhouse thought that not having children helped her avoid stress, which research suggests can accelerate aging.

Eat healthily and don't smoke

"I don't smoke or drink. And I don't drink those fizzy waters… no soda. I seldom eat fast food," Senhouse told WBZ News in 2022.

People who followed healthy eating guidelines, including consuming lots of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes, had a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory disease in a 2023 study. The research involved 119,000 female nurses and male health professionals and was published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. These people were also less likely to smoke and more likely to exercise.

Be part of a community

Hawkinson said that Senhouse had a big community of friends, family, and fellow church members.

She also spent lots of time with her best friend, Margaret Robinson, whom she met over 60 years ago. They called each other every day and got their hair and nails done together every two weeks, WBZ News reported.

Researchers carrying out the Harvard Study of Adult Development have found that healthy relationships can lower the risk of dying at any age and help to reduce pain in older age, BI's Hilary Brueck previously reported.

Know when to let go

Do your best to fix issues in your life, but if you can't, let it go, Senhouse told The Telegraph.

Perseverance and focusing on the good things in life are common traits among centenarians, Business Insider previously reported. And longevity researchers who have spoken to over 1,000 centenarians told BI that many centenarians try not to stress about things out of their control.