Brits may need to rethink their health plans as more people live to be 100, says expert

New official figures reveal that the number of centenarians in the United Kingdom has more than doubled since 2002  

 The number of people living to be 100 or more increased by 3.7 per cent in England and Wales in 2022, compared to the previous year, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

ONS data also revealed that the number of centenarians in the UK has more than doubled in the last two decades.

Wales has more centenarians (27 people per 100,000 aged 100 or over) than England (25 people per 100,000).

It’s good news that more people are living into their second century, but it also means that we may need to rethink our health plans for a longer future, a leading testing expert has suggested.

Dr Avinash Hari Narayanan (MBChB), Clinical Lead at London Medical Laboratory, (LML) said: “The increasing chance of a very long life means we may need to rethink our retirement and healthcare provisions.

“Also, with more people living longer, we all need to act now, to ensure that we remain as healthy and mobile as possible to enjoy an active old age.”

Women continue to represent much higher number of centenarians than men in the UK.

In mid-2022, there were 12,390 female centenarians in England and Wales, compared to 2,730 male centenarians in the two countries.

Compared on 2021, there was an increase of 3.5 per cent in the number of women living to be 100 or more in 2022.

The number of male centenarians is growing fast, with five per cent increase reported in 2022.

In the last 20 years, the ratio of female to male centenarians has reduced to almost 50 per cent.

“In 2002, there were 8.2 women to every man aged 100 or over, while in 2022, there were 4.5 women to every man,” Dr Narayanan stated.

The figures showed the highest-ever number of Brits living into their 90s, with the population of England and Wales aged 90 years and over estimated to be 550,835 in 2022, up from 539,637 in 2021.

This means more than two per cent jump, and it is the biggest increase since 2019, according to Dr Narayanan.

Quality of life is as important as quantity  

The ONS cited improved public health and medical advances as reasons behind more people living into their 90s and beyond.

But improved lifestyle factors is also important for living to a good age, Dr Narayanan highlighted.

“Well, it’s great that many people are living longer, but quality of life is as important as quantity. Our body changes significantly as we grow older, and our underlying physiology changes with it.”

‘It’s up to each of us to ensure we reach our 90s and beyond in as good a shape as we can possibly be,” he said.

According to the expert, with growing age, people need to increase intake of vitamin B12, which can be obtained from meat, fish, poultry, milk and fortified breakfast cereals.

However, the National Institute on Aging has cautioned that some people over 50 may have trouble absorbing the vitamin B12 found naturally in foods.

We may also need calcium is supplements as we grow older to ensure better health and mobility.

Dr Narayanan encourages people to regularly monitor their health and vitamin levels to track their changing needs, and to see if they require added supplements.