The validation of the ages of alleged centenarians is essential for scientific research in demography, genetics, epidemiology, and public health. Age inaccuracy tends to increase with age and is more often observed in illiterate populations and more common among males than among females. The validation of the age of a person, centenarian or not, consists of checking if a given birth record is accurately attributed to a specific person, so that his or her age may be calculated without doubt.
The example of Marta, an alleged supercentenarian who died in 2002 in Georgia, demonstrates the risk of age exaggeration. She was supposed to be born in 1891 according to her passport. Nevertheless , when examining to successive household books, she succeeded to age 20 years in only 10 years, from 1938 to 1948
For more information on age validation of centenarians see the website of the International Database on Longevity (For more information on age validation of centenarians see the website of the International Database on Longevity and the book published by Max Planck Rostock
Longevity Blue Zones 