Longevity

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June 22, 2009
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June 23, 2009

The Strait Times reported that the world’s oldest man, 113 year old Tomoji Tanabe died at home in southern Japan on 19/06/2009.

He was certified by the Guinness Book of Word Records as the world’s oldest man when he was 111 years old.

When he turned 113 on Sept 18 last year, he said that the secret to his longevity was a big appetite but a strict diet. His favourite dishes were fried shrimp and Japanese miso soup. He avoided alcohol and cigarettes.

British World War 1 veteran Henry Allingham now takes over the mantle from Mr Tanabe as the world’s oldest person. 

The 113 year old Allingham was born on 6 June 1896. He has lived in three different centuries and seen six British monarchs on the throne.

The Strait Times also reported that the world’s oldest known person is 115 year old Gertrude Baines from Los Angeles.

So what is the secret of longevity?

I personally believe that we need to have good genes to start off with. If you have a strong family history of heart problems or chronic conditions such as diabetes it will certainly affect the length of our life span.

But we have totally no control over our genes.

We can only do something about the factors which we have control over.  These include:

a)      Regular exercise

b)      Strict diet of moderation

c)       Avoidance of alcohol and smoking

d)      Leading a stress free life