How to live to 100: From eating pigs’ feet to 30 cigarettes a day or whiskey in the morning – tips from the world’s oldest people for surviving a century
- A website trawled through interviews with 100 people over 100 for the tips
- But there is no agreement and many people flouted conventional health advice
- Smoking, drinking and eating junk food have all been credited for long lives
Imagine being born in a time before electric lights, television, phones and cars were normal and living through two world wars – and still being alive in 2018.
Living to be older than 100 is rare but becoming more common – the UN expects there to be 3.2 million centenarians worldwide by 2050, up from 316,600 in 2012.
And, according to a website that trawled through interviews with 100 people who reached the landmark birthday, the secret to surviving may not just be a healthy diet.
A pint of Guinness every day, eating pigs’ feet and kicking out your husband are all genuine nuggets of wisdom from people who have lived to 100 and beyond.
Richard Overton, a 112-year-old World War II veteran from Texas, is thought to be the oldest living man in the US and credits his long life to cigars, whiskey and ice cream
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US senior citizens’ advice website, A Place for Mom, searched through newspaper interviews with the world’s oldest people to pick out their tips for living for so long.
On the list of people offering their wisdom was Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 as the oldest woman ever at the age of 122.
And above her, Leandra Becerra Lumbreras, a Mexican woman who died in 2015 claiming to be 127 years old – though her birth date was never confirmed.
While a quarter of centenarians credit a healthy diet for their long lives, even more of them – 29 per cent – recommend indulging in unhealthy treats like greasy breakfasts and fizzy drinks.
Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 aged 122, was the oldest women ever and credited her staggeringly long life to olive oil, chocolate, cigarettes and wine (pictured: Ms Calment on her 117th birthday)
And exercise isn’t a popular habit among the super-aged either – only 21 per cent of them said regular workouts were what kept them ticking over.
THE STRANGEST SECRETS TO LIVING A LONG LIFE
Out of 100 people aged over 100 who were interviewed about their secrets to living a long life, these were some of the strangest and least expected:
- Sleeping for days on end and avoiding marriage
- Olive oil, chocolate, wine and cigarettes
- Kicking husband out and never marrying again
- Coca Cola
- Pop’ems glazed doughnut holes
- Eating plenty of pigs’ feet
- No make-up
- Plenty of exercise and butter
- Going with the flow
- Never marrying or having children
- Eating sweets
- No dieting or sports
- 30 cigarettes a day
- 12 cigars and 4 glasses of whiskey a day
- 4 strips of bacon every morning
- Chewing food properly
- 5-7 push-ups a day
- Full English breakfast every day
- Whiskey with tea in the morning and whiskey with lemonade in the evening
- Diet Coke
- 3 cans of Dr Pepper a day
- Eating once a day and lots of women
- Peanut butter M&Ms
- Naps
- Having sex
- Keeping up with daily news
- A daily pint of Guinness
Source: A Place for Mom
The 10 most common tips for ageing gracefully were predictable enough – watch what you eat, stay active and maintain relationships.
But many of the centenarians’ suggestions were downright rebellious.
Ms Calment – who was married for 46 years and then lived for another 55 years after her husband died – credited olive oil, wine, cigarettes and chocolate for living so long.
Mr Overton, a World War II veteran who is thought to be the oldest living man in the US, says ice cream also helped increase his lifespan, alongside the cigars and bourbon.
Emma Morano, an Italian woman who lived to 117 before dying last year, said she owed her long life to kicking her husband out and never marrying again.
Jeralean Talley, from Michigan, lived to 115 thanks to ‘eating plenty of pigs’ feet’.
Other people’s unlikely fountains of youth have included Pop’Ems glazed donut holes, ‘going with the flow’, 30 cigarettes a day, five to seven push-ups a day, and a daily pint of Guinness.
Sex made an appearance on the list, too – and Vincenzo Baratta, an Italian who lived to 103, said eating once a day and ‘lots of women’ were his secrets.
The consensus is there’s no sure-fire way to live for a long time and for every person who recommends drinking wine there will be someone who says the opposite.
Dr David Demko, a gerontologist – someone who studies the science of ageing – said: ‘Our genetic makeup and lifestyle habits influence longevity, but the impact each element plays is a hotly debated topic.
‘The current ratio suggests that genetic risk factors control 25 per cent and lifestyle risk-factors control 75 per cent, but this ratio fluctuates in line with new research on factors reported to reduce risks to morbidity and mortality.
‘Regardless of the precise weighting of this ratio, it’s clear that a long life boils down to far more than simply smart genes and dumb luck.’
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