Increase in centenarians: more than 30,000 people have passed the 100-year mark, how can we explain this longevity ?

Marie fête ses 100 ans cet été. Midi Libre

In the summer of 2024, France will have nearly 31,000 centenarians. A record number that continues to increase. In comparison, there were 30 times fewer people of this age in the 1970s. How can we explain this surge in longevity? ? Marie, a woman from Lozère who is celebrating her 100th birthday this summer, gives us her answer.

It is in her little corner of Lozère, in Saint-Chély-d’Apcher, that Marie Loubat welcomes us, and her century of memories. The one who celebrates her hundredth birthday this summer impresses with her eyes full of life and her flawless memory. A symbolic age that 30,000 people can currently boast of having reached. Sitting comfortably on the terrace of her apartment where she lives alone, in total autonomy, she evokes the memories of a lifetime and tries to explain to us the secret of her longevity.

Memories of a happy childhood

"I only have good memories of my childhood that I spent here in Saint-Chély-d’Apcher, " start Marie, her eyes sparkling with nostalgia. Far from modern concerns, his childhood is marked by "simplicity". There are many memories of this time. "Je reminds me that I< /em>’went to school in clogs. It hurt, we banged our ankles. When we got to class, our feet were soaked, but we stayed like that and we didn't get sicker", she remembers.

Despite her age, Marie continues to follow current events, especially politics. During her life, the now centenarian has known no fewer than thirteen presidents of the Republic. Her favorite was General De Gaulle. I’have known many different heads of the’Statebut him was a great man. Since then, we have not had a president like him", completes the Lozérienne.

In her very rich life, it was at the age of 23 that she decided to leave her native countryside for Paris, where she would live for four decades. Her marriage, in 1947, would last 49 years until her husband's death. Two children, seven grandchildren, and no fewer than seventeen great-grandchildren would later come to enlarge this family. Even rarer: two great-great-grandchildren have recently come into the world. “At Christmas, there are 37 of us at the table. It's starting to become a problem for space”, she jokes.

The secrets of her longevity

Amazingly, while her youth was marked by health problems, Marie is now in excellent shape. "All the health worries I had when I was young have disappeared. It's miraculous." The one who has never touched alcohol or cigarettes attributes her longevity to an active life and strong family ties. Indeed, despite her 100 years, she has never stopped these outings to restaurants or even these weekends with her family, in Palavas in particular.

Even more disconcerting, this lively centenarian is at the cutting edge of technology with a state-of-the-art smartphone. Her daughter still remembers the nurses' amazement when, at 98, Marie, then hospitalized for a few days, had only one desire: to get the hospital's internet connection.

Finally, Marie is clear about her future: “I'm not afraid of death. Do we have a choice ? No. All I hope for is not to suffer in bed. That would be terrible. I can't say I don't think about it, it crosses my mind sometimes,” she confides, and regrets have no place in her mind: “What's past is past. You can't go back. You can't change the world either. There's no point in regretting."