“The picture that emerges from our study, although derived only from this one exceptional individual, shows that extremely advanced age and poor health are not intrinsically linked,” the researchers, led by epigeneticists Eloy Santos-Pujol and Aleix Noguera-Castells, said, according to Science Alert.

Dr. Esteller concluded:

“The clues for extreme longevity are a mix between what we inherited from our parents and what we do in our lives. This mix, the percentage depends, but it can be […] half and half.”