Doctors say that to live up to 85, you need to lead a healthy lifestyle. But how to cross this threshold remains a medical mystery today. American Forbes spoke to those who is after hundred, to find out the secret of their longevity. Be ready to the fact that secrets are sometimes quite unexpected.
1. Jeanne Louise Calment, 122
The record of life expectancy today belongs to Jeanne Calment, who lived to 122 years and 164 days. Calment believed that her advanced age was due to the unusual diet rich in olive oil. She not only consumed oil with food, but also rubbed it into the skin. She also regularly drank port and ate almost a kilogram of chocolate every week. Jeanne smoked cigarettes from 21 (1896) to 117 (1992). At the age of 85, she took up fencing and continued riding her bike up to 100.
This unique old woman was lucky enough to meet Van Gogh. She was a 13-year-old girl, when the artist entered her father’s drapery store to buy canvas. She said that Van Gogh was dirty, badly dressed and very unpleasant.
2. Elizabeth Sullivan, 104
The woman from Fort Worth (Texas, USA) celebrated her 104th birthday in March 2015. Elizabeth Sullivan got addicted to a soft drink, Dr Pepper, 40 years ago. Doctors kept saying that three cans of Dr Pepper a day would soon kill her, but it turned the other way around. Sullivan also believes that in addition to her favorite soda, the secret of longevity is just to enjoy life.
3. Agnes Fenton, 110
A resident of New Jersey, Agnes Fenton, celebrated her 110th birthday in July 2015. Once Agnes had a benign tumor, and the doctor advised her to drink three cans of Miller High Lifes beer every day. Thus, over the last 70 years, Fenton drank three cans of beer a day, occasionally allowing herself a glass of whiskey.
4. Clara Meadmore, 108
Clara Meadmor, the oldest virgin in the UK, lived to 108 years. She often claimed that she lived to her age due to abstinence. Clara never had a sex life because she considered herself “too busy for such troublesome relationships.” Clara filled her life with reading, gardening, cooking and listening to the radio. Clara was born in Glasgow in 1903 and died in 2011.
5. Pearl Cantrell, 105
In 2013, the 105-year-old woman from Texas, who became a widow at the age of 38 and raised seven children, said that the secret of her longevity was bacon. Pearl Cantrell said she loved crispy bacon and ate it every day. She added that she did not feel old at all.
6. Emiliano Mercado del Toro, 115
December 11, 2006, the 114-year-old Emiliano Mercado del Toro became the oldest person on the planet. What is more, del Toro became one of the few men who had ever been bestowed this title (for example, 16 preceding oldest people were women). Del Toro is also known for his sense of humor and love for women. Emiliano attributes his long life to funche – a traditional Puerto Rican dish consisting of corn flour and cod.
7. Alida Victoria Grubba Rudge, 112
The 112-year-old Alida Victoria Grubba Rudge plays cards to train her mind and memory. She was born in Brazil, Jaragua do Sul, July 10, 1903, and currently lives in San Francisco do Sul, Brazil. Alida got married in 1926, and she has one son. This old woman is the oldest person in Brazil now.
8. Susannah Mushatt Jones, 116
The 116-year-old Susannah Mushatt Jones became the oldest person in the world on June 17, 2015. She is also a fan of bacon. Every morning, Suzanne begins with slices of bacon, and then has her eggs. Today the old woman is blind, deaf and can hardly speak. Throughout her life, Jones never arranged parties, never smoked or drank, never wore makeup or dyed her hair.
9. Pauline Spagnola, 100
The 100-year-old woman (the “youngest” in this list) believes that the key to longevity is drinking. Pauline Spagnola said her favorite drink was beer Stegmaier, brewed by Lion Brewery in Wilkes-Barre. She drinks a can in the afternoon, another one – in the evening, and one more at bedtime.
