A global team of demographers has identified at least 600 individuals   
who have reached the age of 110 and earned the title of   
"supercentenarians." Of these 600, 20 were more than 115 years old.   
   
More than half (341) of the supercentenarians discovered are in the   
United States, where women in the cohort outnumbered men by nearly 10   
to 1. (These numbers may have been a factor of better record keeping in   
the United States compared with other countries, the researchers note.)   
   
The work, coordinated by the Max Planck Institute for Demographic   
Research in Germany, aims to create a database that would provide a   
reliable, international record of scientifically verified data on human   
longevity.   
   
The effort may yield important clues about why and how some individuals   
are able to live such a long time, some even surviving major surgery in   
their 110s. For instance, as the U.S. example illustrates, being born   
female has its advantages for longevity, whereas socioeconomic   
differences and the longevity of one's ancestors seem to have little   
impact on the likelihood of supercentenarianism.   
   
The researchers observed that many of the supercentenarians had been   
able to avoid dementia. This suggests that efforts to prevent,   
diagnose, and treat Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia may   
also contribute to longevity.