Mark Leenay, M.D., is a world-renowned expert on centenarians. He says more and more people are interested in living to 100 because more and more of us have the chance to actually do it. Over the next 30 years, the number of centenarians is expected to increase dramatically.

Dr. Leenay has studied their health, lifestyle, and trends and has come up with a number of interesting facts. He says genetics, diet and activity level are some of the most important factors but there are others that surprised him.

He found many people over 100 are Internet users, use iPods and are aware of many aspects of pop culture. His point? He believes genetics are important, but overrated as a determining factor of lifespan. He believes many of the factors to living to 100 are well within our own control.

Want to see more examples of how vibrant centenarians can be? Click here to check out our Centenarian Project.