The maximum age of a person in history. Which person lived the longest? The oldest people on the planet
The most an old man on the ground
Duration human life depends on many factors: lifestyle, nutrition, place of residence, genetic predisposition to certain diseases. In the CIS countries, the average life expectancy is somewhere around 60 years for men and 65 for women. In countries Western Europe this figure is slightly higher. But the people who will be discussed further broke all records and demonstrated a great love for life.
Supercentenarians
Oldest man in history
The person who lived the longest was a woman (statistically, women live longer than men). The name of this heroine is Jeanne Louise Calment, this woman was born back in 1875 on February 21 in France, and died on August 4, 1997. Her total life expectancy is 122 years and 164 days(44724 total days). Jeanne became the person who lived the longest life of anyone known to science. The woman outlived her daughters and even her grandchildren. Information about the life expectancy of this heroine is carefully documented in scientific papers.
Oldest man
There is some debate regarding the age of the oldest man. The Guinness Book of Records claims that the record holder is the Japanese Shigechiyo Izumi. He is said to have been born on June 29, 1865, and died on February 21, 1986. If the date of his birth is correct (apparently no documents have survived), then the centenarian from Japan lived 120 years and 237 days. Only a long-liver from France, Jeanne Calment, survived it. Shigechio was not only the oldest man on the planet, he also set the record for the longest working life for a person, 98 years. Surprisingly, the work experience of a Japanese person far exceeds the average life expectancy in Europe today. His name was recorded in Japan's first census in 1871. Interestingly, the man started smoking at the age of 70. However, after the death of the centenarian, the Department of Epidemiology in Tokyo and the Institute of Gerontology reported that, based on family registration records, Shigechio died at the age of 105 years. Whether this is true or not, we probably won’t be able to find out.
The second candidate for the right to be called the oldest man who ever lived on Earth is Thomas Peter Thorvald Christian Ferdinand Mortensen (August 16, 1882 - April 25, 1998). Although Thomas's date of birth is not shrouded in darkness, the Guinness Book of Records nevertheless considers him second, after Shigechio Izumi. Christian Mortensen is the oldest person born in Denmark, he is one of the ten oldest people on the planet. In total he lived 115 years and 252 days. There can be no doubt about Christian Mortensen's lifespan, and there are birth records, church baptism records, and even Danish census records that indicate his date of birth is correct.
Oldest person alive today
The oldest woman turned out to be Anna Eugenie Blanchard (born February 16, 1896), a French centenarian. The woman has lived for more than 114 years and 142 days. The oldest man alive today is Walter Breuning, born September 21, 1896, a long-lived American. At the age of 113 years 290 days, he ranked 4th among the oldest people on the planet, ahead of him were only three women, one of whom was Anna Blanchard.
The question of the length of human life has occupied the minds of scientists from all countries and peoples for many centuries.
What affects life expectancy?
Factors that undoubtedly influence a person’s life span are: place of residence (from climatic features territory to the cultural traditions of the peoples inhabiting it), attitude to health and nutrition, as well as genetic predisposition (if there were already long-livers in the family of a given individual).
The oldest people on Earth who manage to live a long time certainly arouse interest from scientists. Many are convinced that it is in their lifestyle that the key to longevity should be sought. The most comprehensive work in this direction was carried out by the team of searching for records from the well-known book of the same name. Finally, it was possible to establish the names and identities of long-lived heroes not only in the present, but also in the distant past.
The record was set
Over the entire existence of the Guinness Book of Records, hundreds of people have submitted applications to it who want to immortalize themselves or their loved ones and enter world history as "the oldest man on Earth." It's no secret that our average life expectancy is considered to be from 65 to 80 years. However, this does not prevent many people from overcoming this milestone and easily living two or even three lives of an average person. So who are they, people who have seen several eras?
As already mentioned, there are surprisingly quite a lot of them. However, among those living and those who have already died, only four are worth mentioning. The oldest people on Earth are Jeanne Louise Calment, Shigechio Izumi, Thomas Peter Thorvald Christian and Anna Eugenie Blanchard. They were the ones who managed to be included in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest people in our history.
Zhanna Kalman
He is considered the undisputed favorite in this race. Today she is the longest-lived living and deceased person and bears the title of “the oldest person on Earth”, posthumously.
It is not surprising that a woman occupies a leading position. Scientists have long established that representatives fair half On average, humanity manages to live 15-20 years longer than men.
Frenchwoman Jeanne Louise Calment was born almost a century and a half ago, back in 1875. She passed away at the age of 122, on August 4, 1997. Almost 45 thousand days of life is the most long term ever recorded. She managed to outlive her own children and even some grandchildren.
For my amazing life Zhanna Kelman managed to witness many historical events. She was 14 years old when the legendary architect Alexander Eiffel finished building his tower. At the same age she met Vincent Van Gogh and, according to her, great artist Jeanne did not like the post-impressionist at all, as he was very gloomy and unkempt. Zhanna Kelman also attended the funeral of the poet Victor Hugo.
Contrary to popular belief that smoking is one of the most harmful habits affecting life expectancy, Zhanna, the oldest person on Earth, became addicted to cigarettes in at a young age. According to her relatives, she smoked at least twice a day for most of her life.
Until her 110th birthday, Zhanna Kelman lived independently, without requiring any help or support. She then moved into a nursing home, where she spent the rest of her life. Zhanna is known as the oldest person on Earth; her photo can be seen below. She managed to give many interviews and participate in the filming of several documentaries.
Second place
These two centenarians currently share second place in the Guinness Book of Records. Due to bureaucratic nuances and the lack of reliable information, it was not possible to establish who is older. Only one thing is clear - both Izumi and Christian are by far the oldest among men.
A native of Denmark, Thomas Peter, lived 115 years, and the Japanese Shigechio Izumi, according to some sources, 105, and some others - 120 years. Representatives of the Book of Records are inclined to the second option and conditionally give the silver medal for Izumi’s longevity, but this must be proven and certified this fact, unfortunately, it is not possible.
Shigechiyo Izumi
Shigechio Izumi is the oldest male person on earth in history. He was born in 1865 and died in 1986. Unfortunately, there are simply no documents that could confirm his date of birth, and this figure is known literally from the words of his relatives and Izumi himself. In addition to the record of longevity, he is also registered as a person who has worked for more than 98 years - the longest period of working life. This is much longer than the average life expectancy in some states. The name of a Japanese appears in one of the oldest censuses conducted in his home country in 1871. According to family records, Shigechio died at the age of 105, but the reliability of this information is highly questionable.
Thomas Peter Thorwald Christian
Thomas Peter Thorwald Christian was born in 1882 and died in 1998. The data on his life expectancy from birth to death is not questioned, and it is 115 and a half years. This is confirmed by the date of Peter’s baptism recorded in the church, and by population censuses conducted in Denmark.
The oldest person on Earth still living
Whether the agreed top three will remain with their records these days largely depends on one person. Frenchwoman Anne Eugenie Blanchard recently celebrated her 119th birthday. She is the oldest person on Earth. Walter Breuning, one of the representatives of the male half of the planet's population, is still alive and the oldest US citizen. As for Anna Eugenie Blanchard, at present, she occupies the absolute leading position among those still living and has already surpassed Torvald in age, currently catching up with Izumi.
Probably each of us has had the thought that we would like to live as long as possible. Perhaps someone would not mind claiming the title of “Longest living person in the world.” So, who are the centenarians and what is the secret of their longevity?
Long-lived among human race is considered to be someone whose age is significantly higher than the average statistical norm. Each country has its own age for centenarians. For example, in the USA this figure is 85 years, in Russia - 90 years. The global longevity is 90 years.
If we rely on official data from the Book of Records, the longest-living person in the world among women is Jeanne-Louise Calment from France, who reached 122 years, and among men, Jiroemon Kimura from Japan, who lived to 116 years. Let's get to know them a little better.
Longest living person in the world: Jeanne Kalment
In her life, this respectable lady has never faced work, which, in her opinion, is the secret of longevity. Instead of wasting time sitting in the office, Kelman worked out. Her program included the most various types sports - from tennis to fencing. The Frenchwoman associated her long life with the fact that she ate a lot of vegetables and practically did not eat meat products. It is worth noting that Zhanna Kelman smoked even at one hundred and seventeen years old. The reason for giving up smoking was not the state of her health, but the very fact that she had to ask someone to light a cigarette, since she herself had almost lost her sight. Zhanna Kelman died in August 1997.
Famous centenarians of the 21st century: Jiroemon Kimura
He was born in the city of Ketango and worked at the post office until retirement. But instead of a well-deserved rest, I decided to take up agriculture. Kimura celebrated his 116th birthday with a huge number of relatives: 15 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren and 14 great-great-grandchildren. The mayor of Ketango came to see him personally for his birthday. In order to live at least a hundred years, you need to eat fish. This is the secret of longevity from the point of view of this centenarian. The Japanese did not drink alcohol, did not overeat, but smoked. Jiroemon Kimura died on June 12, 2013.
If we take historical data, then the title of “The Oldest Man in the World” deserves the Chinese Lee Ching-Yun. He died in 1933 at the age of 256 years. Throughout his life he had 23 wives and 180 heirs. Physically, Lee Ching-Yun was strong: at the age of 70 he taught martial arts in the Chinese army. To strengthen his health, the man drank infusions from medicinal herbs which he collected himself. Doing exercises with early childhood, peace of mind, eating rice and wine is the secret of Lee Ching-Yun's longevity. According to Chinese archives, the world's longest-living man received congratulations from the Imperial Government of China on his 150th and 200th anniversaries.
Most famous country In terms of the number of centenarians, Japan is ranked second, Sweden is in second place, and Great Britain is in third place. The secret to the longevity of the inhabitants of these countries can be considered the consumption of large quantity seafood, soy, green tea. According to modern scientists, the most long-lived people have a certain genetic combination that allows them to live long. Around the world there are only about 5% of such unique people. Of course, life expectancy is influenced not only by this factor, but also by many other things: our lifestyle, various diseases, stress, ecology, nutrition.
How long did people who actually lived live?documented centenarians?
Our list of long-livers deservedly tops legendary personality Ancient China, the supposed creator of the world, who, according to legend, grew 3 meters per day and lived to be 18 thousand years old. His name was Pan Ku.
Methuselah himself lived 969 years.
Adam allegedly lived for 930 years.
The Illyrian Dandon lived 500 years.
Nestor is 300 years old, which he owes to Apollo.
The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu lived for 200 years. There are still data that are difficult to verify.
Hungarian resident Charten lived 185 years
185 years old - man named Kitaki from Iran
182 years old - a certain Solis from Colombia.
180 years old - Mr. Yorath, subject of Her Majesty the Queen of England.
He lived for 177 years faithful wife Murphy Yorath.
168 years old - Shirali Muslimov from Russia.
167 years old - funny man Pereira from Colombia.
159 - Pakistani Sayaz Abdul Mabud.
The famous centenarian Thomas Parr from England lived 152 years and 9 months.
150 years old - Morsi Suleiman Daoud.
139 - Kitako Kingamkono from Tanzania.
137 - Namkaso from Tahiti.
135 - Nefisa Abdalah from Egypt.
12 1 year - Mary Duckworth from the USA.
120 - Jose Lawrence Fsrreira from England.
112 years old - virgin Suzanne Ferreira from the USA.
Mustafa Buhamedien from Bukhara celebrated his 105th birthday in 1983. That same year, he visited a doctor for the first time to obtain a certificate... for the police, that he could drive a car.
The Illyrian Dandon supposedly lived 500 years.
Zoltan Petraj, 186 years old, died in Hungary in 1724. Ages over 120 years are usually recorded based on the person's personal statement and the testimony of others and are not always confirmed by actual documentation.
History knows many examples amazing longevity. Scottish fisherman Henry Jenkins (1501-1670) lived 169 years and died in Yorkshire. From English court records it is known that in 1665 he was a witness at the trial in a case 140 years ago. One of his sons lived to be 109 years old, the other to 113. Turkish woman Fatma Khanum lived to be 164 years old. Hungarian Janos Roven lived to be 172 years old, his wife to 164. They lived in marriage for 117 years, their youngest son was 116 years old. The Englishman Thomas Parr, a tenant farmer, lived 152 years and 9 months (1483-1635), was married twice (the first time at 80 years old), entered into a second marriage at 120 years old, and had a son who lived to be 123 years old. At the age of 105, he was subjected to church repentance for illegal cohabitation, and in September 1635 he was invited to dinner with Charles I. The king decided to get acquainted with the English “wonder of the world,” but this ruined the venerable old man. According to some, he could not stand the damp London weather, others are inclined to think that Thomas simply overate.
His death occurred from an accidental cause, and all organs turned out to be healthy according to the testimony of the famous English doctor William Harvey who performed the autopsy. In the protocol, Harvey noted that the body of the deceased was muscular, no abnormalities were found in the digestive organs, there were no stones in the kidneys and liver, and if the old man had remained on his usual diet, he could have lived for some more time. Thomas Parr was buried in Westminster Abbey, where his ashes rest outstanding people England. Thomas Parr survived 10 English kings and lived from the 15th to the 17th century.
The English postal worker Robert Taylor, at the age of 133, received a portrait of Queen Victoria with the inscription: “A gift from Queen Victoria to R. Taylor in memory of his deep and unheard of old age.” This gift excited the old man so much that he soon died.
One of oldest people of our country there was Yegor Koroev in Georgia, he lived 157 years, participated in wars and spent his whole life engaged in physical labor. Azerbaijani collective farmer Mahmud Eyvazov lived 152 years. His work experience was 133 years. At the age of 163, Shirali Muslimov (1805-1973) made the first air trip in his life, and he lived only 169 years. Pomor K. G. Popov fished in the Sea of Okhotsk for 11 years. Arzhgiri Khazitov and Tepse Abzieva lived in our country for 180 years. But the record of longevity is retained by the Englishman Thomas Carne, who, according to records in church books, lived 207 years, who was born in 1588 and happily outlived 12 kings, the oldest person in recent times (1980-1985) was considered the Iranian Said Abu Taleb Mosavi, he is 190 years old. His wife is 105 years old (this is his 5th marriage). A Japanese monk supposedly lived 250 years, and this is recorded in church books.
The most reliable is the case of the Dane Christen Jacobsen Drakenberg, who died at the age of 146.
Of the modern ones, the most famous is the example of the Turk Zaro Agha (1778-1934), who, according to his own statements and some unofficial documents, lived to be 156 years old. It is difficult to establish his exact age, but comparing his age with the ages of his children, one could assume that he really lived that long.
Thus, one of his sons died in 1918 at the age of 90, while Zaro Aga himself died 16 years later. Zaro Aga was born in the village, was married 13 times, had 25 children and 34 grandchildren. He led a quiet lifestyle, smoked a little, drank soft drinks, ate a lot of bread, curdled milk, sweets and little meat. He was sanguine and cheerful, but his development was slightly below average. He died in hospital from uremic coma as a result of prostate hypertrophy.
According to the latest data, the Irish woman Katherine Plunkett, an old maid who lived to 111 years and 10 months, actually achieved maximum longevity.
Most recently, the Portuguese shepherd Nunes Jose, who was considered one of the oldest people in Western Europe, died at the age of 120.
Manuela Peñarda from Bolivia was born in La Paz 153 years ago. At least that's what it says in her metrics. It is for this reason that Manuela is considered the “number one” long-liver on the planet. Recently, Bolivian television organized a program with her participation; a special commission wants to once again check the authenticity of the old woman’s documents certifying “overcoming” the sesquicentennial milestone.
An example is the oldest inhabitant of the planet, Jeanne Calment (France), who recently died at the age of 122 years of “natural death,” according to doctors. She was born in 1875, led a quiet, moderate life, and did not overeat. Even at the age of 100, she rode a bicycle and maintained a clear head until the end of her life. Her intelligence level at 120 years old was comparable to that of an older woman.
In 1963, Mahmoud Varan died in Damascus at the age of 163. At that time he was considered the oldest inhabitant of Syria. It is known that the Kenyan Matayo Achungo was well known throughout Africa. He died in 1976 at the age of 132, and was mourned by dozens of children and 125 grandchildren. And the Iranian Mohamed Ayubu had 170 grandchildren, and in 1970 they claimed that he was the oldest person on Earth because he was 180 years old.
The previous world champion in longevity, Japanese Shiketio Izumi, died after living 120 years and 237 days. Literary sources cite cases of even higher life expectancy, such as the Azerbaijani Shirali Muslimov, who lived for almost 168 years (1805-1973). This man was a shepherd and worked all his life outdoors in the high mountain village of Tikeband, Lerik region.
In Guizhou province, 147-year-old Gong Life, the oldest centenarian in China and possibly the world, died of hepatitis. Gun lived his entire life as a bachelor, never drank or smoked, ate rice and corn twice a day (“Trud”, 04/04/1993)
In 1999, it was reported that the oldest person on earth lives in Africa - a woman who is 146 years old.
In May 2000, it was announced that a 150-year-old woman had died in Arkansas (USA).
In the literature one can find many more examples of rare longevity. The oldest inhabitant of the planet today is the Japanese woman Kamato Hongo.
In mid-September 2002, she celebrated her 115th birthday. Back in March 2002, the Guinness Book of Records listed a completely different name - the American Maud Farris-Loose, who died in her home state of Michigan at the age of 122.
The official title of the oldest man on Earth again belongs to Japan, or rather to its 113-year-old citizen, Yukichi Chuganzi. However, his primacy is disputed by the Jordanian Fankhir Ziyad Al-Fawaz, whose relatives claim that he is already 125 years old. To date, the highest documented age is 121 years, this is the age of the French woman Mrs. Jeannette Calmin. It is possible that the name of Pelageya Zakurdaeva from Altai will be entered into the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest inhabitant of the planet. On June 6, 2002, she turned 116 years old. She lives in the city of Zarinsk, Altai Territory.
The list of published longevity records can be continued indefinitely, but a rather funny phenomenon should be taken into account. People mature age, especially women, tend to underestimate their age, and old men tend to exaggerate (old men more often exaggerate their age). Respectable age is called such because it has a certain social weight in the eyes of others.
Currently time is running collecting information and factual material, conducting observations and research on this issue. There are areas on earth that are most favorable for longevity, where people live much longer and remain more energetic and vital in old age than in most developed countries. The most famous of these places are located in the middle mountains. For example, the village of Vilcabamba in the Andes (Ecuador), Mountain country Hunza (Pakistan) with a population of about 40 thousand, located on the Karakoram range in Kashmir on the border with China and Afghanistan. In the province of Hunza, people do not know many of the “diseases of civilization”; they differ good health. With constant monitoring of them for 14 years, not a single case of the disease was identified, although Pakistanis living nearby often got sick.
To regions with the most high level longevity also includes Transcaucasia (Azerbaijan - Nagorno-Karabakh), North Caucasus(Abkhazia and South Ossetia), some areas of Siberia and Central Asia. However, there are long-livers in other geographical areas, for example, in Bashkortostan.
On this occasion, back in 1960, the republican newspaper “Soviet Bashkiria” published an article entitled “Centenarians of Bashkiria.” There, in particular, it is written that on the initiative of the assistant of the Department of Social Hygiene and Health Organization of the Belarusian State Medical Institute N.S. Makhmutzyanova conducted a study of elderly people. The sources for the study were lists of voters who participated in elections in local authorities Soviet power on February 22, 1953, represented by district and city Councils of Workers' Deputies in the 61st rural district and seven cities of republican subordination. 86,407 people over the age of 70 were registered, of which 1,951 people were aged from 90 to 99 years and 135 people were aged 100 years and older. Unfortunately, the results of this study have not been fully published.
Until 1966, the newspaper “Soviet Bashkiria” informed its readers about the long-livers of the republic. She covered everyday interests, lifestyle and the reasons for their longevity. The article by S. Erikeeva “Long-livers of Meleuz” describes in detail life path the oldest resident of the republic, mother of twelve children, 109-year-old Guleysha Kutluakhmetovna Tabaeva. In 1966, the newspaper also spoke in detail about the long-livers of the republic: Mukminova Asmabike - 106 years old and Yushkov Evdokim Nikiforovich - 103 years old, natives of the Baymak region.
Basically, people venerable age exists everywhere where the habitat has been preserved in at least relative purity - water, land and air, where there is a calm and measured way of life, moderation and simplicity in nutrition and lack of bad habits.
Researchers of the essence of human longevity have put forward many hypotheses that converge on a set of common reasons: the characteristics of a person’s personality, climatic conditions the area where he lives, the nature of his work and life, the characteristics of relationships, the style of communication with others, heredity.
Nowadays, many elderly people live in the Republic of Bashkortostan. According to State Committee According to RB statistics, in 2001 within the republic there were 9,190 people aged 90 years and older, including 475 people aged 100 years or more. Longevity indicators for age and sex groups and areas with higher and lower longevity data in the republic are presented in the table.
Significant differences in the number of centenarians have been identified among men and women. Total long-lived men in 2001, in the Republic of Bashkortostan as a whole there were 1,138 people, and among women - 8,052 people. Higher rates of longevity among women than among men were observed among both urban and rural populations in all areas without exception. More high number centenarians have been established among the urban population. Of the republic’s 9,190 centenarians, 4,159 (45,261 live in rural areas; 5031 (54.74%) - in cities and towns. There are 1,138 (12.38%) long-livers men, of whom 453 (39.8%) live in rural areas, 685 (60.2%) live in cities and towns. There are 8,052 long-living women (87,629, of which 3,706 (46.03%) live in rural areas, 4,346 (53.97%) live in cities and towns.
The rural areas of the republic stand out for their high longevity indices - Ilishevsky, Miyakinsky, Kushnarenkovsky, Buraevsky, Aurgazinsky, Chekmagushevsky, Buzdyasky, Sharansky, Bakalinsky, Nurimanovsky and others. It is in these regions that almost all long-lived areas are located, and here there is a kind of “peak” of longevity - over 100 years: in Ilishevsky - 6, Miyakinsky - 7, Kushnarenkovsky - 4, Buraevsky - 6, Aurgazinsky - 5, Chekmagushevsky - 7, Buzdyaksky - 4, Sharansky - 4, Bakalinsky - 4, Nurimanovsky - 1 person.
In 2001, 475 people aged 100 years and older were registered in the republic, which amounted to only 5.17% of all long-term residents of the Republic of Bashkortostan, or per 100,000 population there is an average of 11.6 people who have reached the age of 100. Of these, 81 people belong to rural population and 394 - to the city; by gender: 93 men and 382 women.
Muhammad Eyvazov was 148 years old and in 1956 was released in honor of this Postage Stamp, Shirali Muslimov - 168 years old and, by 1978, Mejid Agayev - 143 years old and Afruz Hasanova - 135 years old. According to official data in the USSR in 1970-1980. There were about 30 thousand people over 100 years of age.
Among those who have long crossed the 80- and even 90-year-old mark and at this age remained a world leader in their profession, one can cite the names of such long-lived giants as: Hippocrates, Titian, Janacek, Plato, Sophocles, Confucius, Ho Chi Minh , Korzhik, Jahir, Shvabinekiy, Hussein J., Grus, Newton, Shaw, Cuba, Edison, Miro, Bezruch, Pavlov, Schweitzer, Kubin, Tolstoy, Verdi, Michelangelo, Chaplin, Qi Bai Shi, Voltaire, Goethe, Casals, Stravinsky , Rubinstein, Kovarzyk, Kohout E., Stech V.
Some researchers believe that life expectancy supposedly increases by a year every 10 thousand years. Over the past 100 thousand years, it has become a little larger thanks to the development of thinking and speech, and most importantly, thanks to polygamy (Yaroslav Govorka, The Road to Longevity, Moscow, 1990).
In 1972, Dr. Alex Comfort, the famous gerontologist, better known, however, as the author of The Joy of Sex, stated at a meeting of the American Gerontological Society: “I am confident that ways to slow down and reverse the aging process will soon be found.” And a year later he said: “If it were possible to mobilize the scientific and medical reserves of the United States of America alone, then old age would be over in just ten years.”
This may seem like unjustified optimism. But here is one example of assessing the progress of medicine and related technical sciences over the past few decades, given by the French philosopher and physician Jean Bernard. According to Bernard, if a doctor were to fall asleep in 1900 and wake up 30 years later, he, in all likelihood, could almost immediately return to the interrupted medical practice - so little has changed. But if he had fallen asleep in 1930 and woke up in 1960, he would have been unable to figure anything out and would have been out of work. In three decades, medicine has made such a giant leap forward that a doctor at the turn of the century would have been worse able to treat patients than most modern first-year students. Suffice it to say that in 1930 there were no antibiotics to treat diseases such as syphilis, pneumonia, scarlet fever and meningitis, to name just a few. And in less than two subsequent decades, the development medical science and technology progressed at an even faster pace. Especially great success achieved in the treatment of diseases associated with aging: hypertension, glaucoma, arthritis, cataracts and heart failure. In areas where only a few years ago there was no treatment at all, successful methods of disease control have now become commonplace.
Life expectancy is clearly influenced by two factors: heredity and environment. You don't have to be born into a family of long-livers to live a long time, but it's still not bad. People whose ancestors were distinguished by longevity, in each at this age have lower mortality rates and are more likely to live to 80 and beyond. However, heredity is not everything. As Alex Comfort writes, human longevity is “inherited” in the sense that it is akin to a certain family tradition... There is a definite connection between the age to which parents lived and the likelihood of life expectancy of their children. “However, this relationship is not as natural as, for example, in relation to growth.” According to Comfort's observations, children of centenarians have less chance of long life than children of lanky parents who are tall.
Heredity is responsible for about 2,000 diseases and defects, including some forms of blindness and deafness, mental retardation, hemophilia and metabolic disorders. But such diseases are statistically insignificant as a cause of death. According to Galton, “If any serious diseases are inherited, they are all rare. Heredity usually predisposes to diseases, but does not make the disease inevitable.”
As you know, we don’t choose our parents and everything they pass on to us. As for the second factor - the environment around us, we can to a certain extent control. We can try to change our environment so that the traits we have inherited develop in a more favorable environment.
In 1973 National Center Health statistics at the US Department of Health published a table that shows how long we could live if the main “killers” of humanity were eliminated. If we deal with cardiovascular diseases, we will gain an average of 17.5 years of life. If in our country (USA) the incidence of cancer were reduced by 80%, then another 2.5 years would be added to our life. If we manage to sharply reduce the number of deaths from accidents, murders, suicides, cirrhosis of the liver, influenza and diabetes, we can add another 2.5 years to these figures. Having destroyed all the “devourers” of life, most of which we impose on ourselves with our ugly lifestyle or treatment environment, we could extend the life of each person by an average of 22.5 years: men would live on average to 92.5, and women to 97.5 years. And this can largely be achieved without the invention of any new drugs , procedures or technical innovations in medicine. Most of These influences are entirely subordinate, being merely a function of man's daily habits, as a review of them will clearly show.
Possible increase in life expectancy when the cause of death is eliminated
Cause of death |
Number of years |
Major cardiovascular diseases |
|
Heart diseases |
|
Vascular diseases that damage the central nervous system |
|
Malignant formations |
|
Accidents (except car accidents) |
|
Car accidents |
|
Flu and pneumonia |
|
Infectious diseases (except tuberculosis) |
|
Diabetes |
|
Tuberculosis |
The secrets of longevity have been of interest to people for a long time. This question periodically makes many people think about how to achieve ideal health, harmony with oneself and become a long-liver. Most often, when asking such questions, people return to the food system or spirituality, to traditions coming from antiquity or the genetic history of the family. Average duration life expectancy in the CIS countries is 60–65 years; the life expectancy rate in Western European countries is slightly higher. But there are people who have revealed their secrets to longevity. In history, centenarians are people who have reached their 90th birthday. Li Ching-Yun (or Li Jing-Yun) is rightfully considered the oldest man in the world among men.
Elder from China
The birth data of Li Ching-Yun states that he was born in 1677, although the old man himself says that he was born in 1736. In 1930, a professor from Chengdu University discovered Imperial Government Records from 1827, which mentioned his 150th anniversary from the authorities. The Chinese leadership did not ignore the centenarian further, congratulating him, but on his 200th birthday.
An old man was born in Sichuan province. When he was ten years old, Lee began collecting, processing and distributing herbs that were considered medicinal. Even then, he began to study and study everything that helps achieve long life and health. The elder’s diet was not varied: Lee ate herbal decoctions, wine and boiled rice. At the age of 71, Li moved to Cai City in 1749. Offering his job, he became a tactical adviser and art history teacher.
In the obituaries of the New York Times for 1933, it was announced that a long-liver of world significance, Lee Ching-Yun, had died at the age of 256. By that time, the long-liver had become a widower no less than 23 times. His heirs numbered about 180 people. Did he live for 256 years or, as Lee himself claimed, for 197 years? How old the oldest person in the world was was not actually known exactly, but it is much longer than the longevity record of French native Jeanne Calment.
The oldest French woman
Jeanne Calment was born in Arles in 1875. The record holder grew up in a fairly wealthy family of a ship owner. When Zhanna turned 21, she married one of distant relatives. She had a daughter, but, unfortunately, over time, Zhanna had to bury almost all of her relatives.
![](https://i2.wp.com/barfik.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/ZHanna-Kalman-foto.jpg)
During her long life, she almost never refused to eat tasty food and good wine. She loved vegetables and garlic. The only thing the Frenchwoman tried to avoid was conflicts and quarrels. Kalman always boasted about her health, having a bad habit of smoking, and she smoked until she was 117 years old, remaining in excellent health. physical fitness. Having mastered fencing at the age of 85, and practicing cycling until the age of 100, she was active and vigorous until the age of 114. When she reached her 114th birthday, disaster struck - the active centenarian fell and broke her hip. This made her life much more difficult, but still did not prevent her from living to 122 years old. Zhanna Kalman August 4, 1997.
Another long-lived woman
Leading the list of the oldest women alive today, Misao Okawa sadly passed away in April 2015. And while the Guinness Book of Records has not recorded a new record holder among women, it is Misao who is in first place.
![](https://i0.wp.com/barfik.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Okava-Misao-foto.jpg)
She was born in Osaka on March 5, 1898. She got married in 1919, during her marriage she had three children, from whom four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren were born. Misao never refused to eat delicious food, and she never suffered from any special health problems. She considered sleep to be her secret to health and longevity: a good, healthy 15-hour sleep.
Modern centenarian
As for the long-livers who are still living today, they include a resident of Bolivia (the central part of South America) Flores Laura. Flores deservedly occupies this place of honor. Based on the official document, the Bolivian was born on July 16, 1890.
![](https://i2.wp.com/barfik.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Flores-Laura-foto.jpg)
Flores achieved a long life with the help of nutrition: he spends a lot of time on the move and eats exclusively what he grows with his own hands - these are grains, potatoes and legumes. He eats only lamb as meat, and drinks water exclusively from high-mountain springs. Alcoholic drinks he never tried it and never used it. Perhaps that is why serious illnesses unknown to him. The 125-year-old man speaks only Spanish and still cannot read or write. Hearing often disappears, but his vision is still good. He has three children, from whom there are sixteen grandchildren and thirty-nine great-grandchildren. Laura still walks without a cane.
As history shows, every centenarian still has his own version of what leads a person to health and long life. Some people think it's a dream, some people say it's proper nutrition, and someone - about . Each of these assumptions has given humanity people whose long life went beyond any rule of existence.