How to live longer: Five secrets to making it past 100
Doctors suggest plenty of exercise and a healthy diet, but what do centenarians say has kept them fighting fit?
Britain's oldest man has put his longevity down to his "relentless work schedule" - and drinking vinegar.
Former farmer Jack Mansfield, 108, from South Derbyshire, also says he owes his incredible health to having a full English breakfast every morning, reports the Daily Mirror.
While doctors recommend exercise and a healthy diet as key to a long life, not all centenarians agree. Here are their tips to making it to a very ripe old age.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
'Old fashioned hard work'
Mansfield, who has lived through two world wars, the Great Depression and man's first foray into space, says "old-fashioned hard work" is the secret to a long life.
"The secret to getting to this age is work - it just keeps you going and I've never stopped. I would work 20 hours at a time. I never used to go to bed at night - I didn't have time," he said.
Britain's oldest woman, Bessie Camm, agrees. The secret to a long life was "hard work, knowing lovely people and good food", the 112-year-old told staff at Moorgate Lodge Care Home, where she lives.
Care home manager Anne Kay told the Rotherham Advertiser: "Bessie is an absolute inspiration. She always wants to know what's going on and as well as enjoying educational TV programmes, she enjoys watching quizzes and often answers before the contestants."
Stay single
Emma Morano, the world's oldest person, believes staying away from men for the majority of her years has kept her happy and healthy. Despite having plenty of suitors, the 116-year-old Italian refused to remarry after she split from her husband in 1938. "I didn't want to be dominated by anyone," she told the New York Times.
She also says eating three raw eggs a day has helped.
Honour your mother
Violet Brown, who, at four months younger than Morano, is the world's second-oldest person, has a Biblical take on her staying power. "Honour your mother and father so your days may be long," she told her local newspaper, the Jamaican Gleaner, referring to the Ten Commandments.
Brown credits her respect for family, life and people in general, as well as a lot of hard work when she was younger, for helping her lead a fruitful life.
Whiskey in your coffee
While Brown says she avoids "rum and dem tings", says the Gleaner, the US's oldest surviving World War II veteran adds whiskey to his morning coffee and smokes up to 12 cigars a day. "It's just like medicine," 110-year-old Richard Overton told the Washington Post.
Not being picky
Asia's oldest person is Nabi Tajima, 116, and according to a profile published by the Japanese health ministry, the secret to her longevity is eating three meals day.
Another profiled centenarian, Junichiro Misawa, said his good health and long life was due to "having a few evening drinks a week and not being picky about food".
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The fishy diplomacy causing tensions between Bangladesh and India
Under The Radar Exports of a 'sacred' fish were recently suspended during difficult relations for the two nations
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Today's political cartoons - October 6, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - Sunday scaries, in-fighting, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 fact-checked cartoons about the VP debate
Cartoons Artists take on civil disagreements, admissions, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Sport on TV guide: Christmas 2022 and New Year listings
Speed Read Enjoy a feast of sporting action with football, darts, rugby union, racing, NFL and NBA
By Mike Starling Published
-
House of the Dragon: what to expect from the Game of Thrones prequel
Speed Read Ten-part series, set 200 years before GoT, will show the incestuous decline of Targaryen
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
One in 20 young Americans identify as trans or non-binary
Speed Read New research suggests that 44% of US adults know someone who is transgender
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Turner Prize 2022: a ‘vintage’ shortlist?
Speed Read All four artists look towards ‘growth, revival and reinvention’ in their work
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
What’s on TV this Christmas? The best holiday television
Speed Read From films and documentaries to musicals for all the family
By The Week Staff Published
-
Coco vision: up close to Chanel opticals
Speed Read Parisian luxury house adds opticals to digital offering
By The Week Staff Published
-
Abba returns: how the Swedish supergroup and their ‘Abba-tars’ are taking a chance on a reunion
Speed Read From next May, digital avatars of the foursome will be performing concerts in east London
By The Week Staff Published
-
‘Turning down her smut setting’: how Nigella Lawson is cleaning up her recipes
Speed Read Last week, the TV cook announced she was axing the word ‘slut’ from her recipe for Slut Red Raspberries in Chardonnay Jelly
By The Week Staff Published