For centuries, mankind has tried to solve the riddle of longevity. Indeed, according to the Bible, before the Flood, people lived up to 900 years. And Methuselah even lived to be 969 years old.
However, until now, scientists do not know why this or that person becomes a super-longevity. Some of these lucky ones drink, smoke and indulge in "various bad excesses" all their lives, while others adhere to a strict diet and lead a correct lifestyle. We also do not know the answer to this question. But we know how old is the oldest person in the world.
Oldest living person
The oldest person on Earth now is a resident of Japan, Kane Tanaka. According to the most recent data from the Guinness Book of Records website, this woman is the oldest inhabitant of the Earth. Her agealready passed behind117 years, and January 2, 2021she must be 118 years old.
Kane Tanaka's life is a vivid proof that you should not give up at any age. At the age of 103, she was diagnosed with an oncological disease (colon cancer), but the woman successfully overcame the disease and continues to enjoy life. She believes that the secret to longevity is hope, family support, proper diet and sleep.
The previous long-lived record holder, Nabi Tajima, lived 117 years and 260 days, and passed away in 2018.
And the titleold man in the world of living menin February 2020, passed to the BritishRobertat Waytonat... His documented date of birth isMarch 29, 1908and it has already celebrated its 112th birthday.
Robert Wayton passed away on 05/28/2020 in his sleep from cancer.
Just imagine that in year, toWhen he was born, Theodore Roosevelt was the President of the United States, the Tunguska meteorite fell in Siberia,and«Titanic»Not even started yetinali buildsb.
In my timeWayton managed to work as an engineer and teacher,visited in Taiwan, Japan and Canada,and now lives innursing homeinthe cityAlton. He has two sons, a daughter, 10 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. The long-liver goes for groceries himself, and on his walker there is a proud sign - 111.He drinks alcoholonlyin special cases, does not smoke anddoes not eatrede meatabout. As for any special diet, RobertWayton no.
“I have not done anything to deserve or reach this age. I'm just one of the lucky ones. ", - once saidoldest living man on earth. And he recommended only one thing to those who want to live up to his age. Don't die!
Before him, the oldest person in the worldwas Masazo Nonaka, island residentHokkaido,deceased in 2019,at the age of 113.
A little short of his 113th birthdayChitetsu Watanabe, which theat the beginning of this yearofficially honoredthe title of the oldest man in the world from the Guinness Book of Records. He diedrecently,23 february 2020 of the year, aged112 years, 355 days. In lifeWatanabe said that the secret of longevity lies in the fact thatnot be angry andsmile more often.
The oldest person who ever lived
On August 4, 1997, Jeanne Calment died in a nursing home in France. Of course, the Grim Reaper will come for all of us, but he was in no hurry to visit Mrs. Kalman. She died at the age of 122 years and 164 days, setting the official record for human longevity.
Before her, the title of "the oldest person on the planet", according to the Guinness Book of Records, was carried by the Japanese Shigichiyo Izumi, who was born on June 29, 1865 and died on February 21, 1986, at the age of 120 years and 237 days. Interestingly, both Kalman and Izumi did not deny themselves either drinking or smoking.
And unofficially, the oldest person on Earth was the Chinese Li Qingyun, presumably (since there are no documents confirming this) who was born in 1736 and died in 1933. Some sources even cite 1677 as the date of birth of Qingyun. That is, at the time of his death he was 256 years old.
For most of his life, this man was engaged in collecting medicinal herbs in the Sichuan mountains, and comprehending the secret of longevity. When Lee was asked about the secret of his fantastically long life, he replied, "keep your heart quiet, sit like a turtle, walk as vigorous as a dove and sleep like a dog." He also did qigong gymnastics and drank herbal infusion, the recipe for which has been lost.
List of the oldest inhabitants of the planet
This is what a dozen verified long-livers of the Earth look like, both now alive and having already left this world.
- Zhanna Kalman - lived for 122 years.
- Sarah Knauss - 119 years old.
- Lucy Hannah - 117 years old.
- Nabi Tajima - lived for 117 years.
- Maria Louise Meyer - 117 years old.
- Violet Brown - 117 years old.
- Emma Morano - 117 years old.
- Misao Okawa - 117 years old.
- Kane Tanaka - 117 years old, alive.
- Chiyo Miyako - lived for 117 years.
There is not a single man in the top 10 centenarians, because the oldest verified centenarian (Jiroemon Kimura) lived 116 years and 54 days.
How long can a person live theoretically
According to the Bible, a person can theoretically live up to the Mafusaila age - 969 years. According to Li Qingyun, you can live over 250 years.
But Ian Vige, an aging expert at New York's Albert Einstein College of Medicine, doubts we'll see centenarians like Jeanne Kalman again. Over the past few decades, human life expectancy has increased. But now, according to Vij, we have reached the upper limit of human longevity and people will not cross the 115-year mark.
Dr. Vige and his graduate students published evidence for this pessimistic prediction in Nature in 2016.
Scientists analyzed how many people of different ages were alive in a particular year. They then compared the numbers from year to year to calculate how quickly the population grew in each age range. The fastest growing part of society is the elderly. For example, in France in the 1920s, the fastest growing group was 85-year-old women. And by the 1990s, the fastest growing group of French women was 102 years old. If this trend continued, the fastest growing group today could well be 110 year olds. Instead, growth has slowed and appears to have stalled.
Dr. Vige and his students looked at data from 40 countries and found the same general trend. Scientists believed that the reason was that humans have finally reached the upper limit of their longevity.
With rare exceptions such as Mrs. Kalman, people do not live to be 115 years old. This "wall" is obvious to the longest-living people on Earth. "When you look at the second super-longevity, and then the third, fourth and fifth, the trend is always the same," said Dr. Vige. On the researchers' chart, Mrs. Kalman is an anomaly. Vij's team calculated how likely it is that someone will be able to survive it given the current trends. Sentence: practically nobody.
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