The unsolved mystery of centenarians
I quit smoking only at the age of 118
Why do some people live 115 or even 120 yearsMarina Kiseleva, "Newspaper.
Now the oldest inhabitant of the planet is a year younger. Department of Science "Newspapers.Ru" figured out what the secret of centenarians is, why it's not harmful for them to smoke and whether genes are to blame for everything.
You can 't forbid living for a long timeThis week, at the age of 116, Geralyn Talley, the oldest inhabitant of the Earth, died in Michigan.
In 2013, when asked by journalists what it was like to be the oldest person, she pointed her finger at the sky and replied: "Don't ask me. Ask Him. Everything is in the hands of the Almighty."
Geralyn Talley, died on June 17, 2015 at the age of 116
After the death of a "colleague in the shop", the rating of centenarians whose age has been documented (this rating is made by GRC – Gerontology Research Group, a Gerontological Research Center) was headed by 115-year-old Brooklyn resident Suzanne Jones. When asked how she felt about her new status, she laughed and said she didn't believe it. Ms. Jones takes vitamins and medications for blood pressure daily, suffers from glaucoma, but in general is distinguished by enviable, albeit age-appropriate health. The diet of the newly minted leader of centenarians can hardly be considered exemplary. So, Jones eats four strips of bacon and scrambled eggs for breakfast every day. In addition to her gastronomic habits, she retained a love for elegant underwear. "Once she went to do an ECG, doctors and nurses were shocked to see her lace underwear. After recovering, of course, we noticed that it's never too late to wear cute things," said the 75–year-old niece of Susanna Jones. The centenarian goes to bed at 7 pm, sleeps for 10 hours, and then takes a nap in the living room most of the day.
Susanna Jones, 115 years old – the oldest inhabitant of the Earth at the moment
The oldest person ever alive is Jeanne Calman from France. She died in 1997, having lived 122 years and 164 days. The French have a hypothesis about the longevity of a compatriot. Kalman ate 900 grams (2 pounds) of chocolate a week, rode a bicycle until she was 100 and rubbed olive oil into her skin.
Jeanne Kalman is the oldest person ever alive,
she died in 1997, having lived 122 years and 164 days
she died in 1997, having lived 122 years and 164 days
She was a lover of cheap red wine, quit smoking only at the age of 118, never seriously monitored her health and was famous for witty jokes. "I don't have a single wrinkle… Except for the one I'm sitting on," Kalman declared at an advanced age. After celebrating her ninetieth birthday, she made a deal with her lawyer: he paid her 2.5 thousand francs (about $ 400) every month and after her death received the house in ownership. But the elderly lady was in no hurry to die, and in the end it had to be done by a lawyer: after 32 years, having paid a tenacious old woman 180 thousand dollars, which was 2 times the market value of the house, he died prematurely. Shrugging her shoulders, Jeanne Kalman remarked: "Sometimes people make bad deals."
According to scientists, the secret of the longevity of the Frenchwoman is her equanimity. "I think she was biologically immune to stress," said Jean-Marie Robin, a gerontologist and author of a book about Jeanne Kalman.
In the rating of living centenarians there is a woman of Russian origin, born in Chisinau, and now a US citizen Golda Hatskelevna Gurfinkel, now Goldie Steinberg. She is now 114 years old, and she ranks fifth in the new ranking.
As for Russia, Magomed Labazanov died in Dagestan in the autumn of 2012, who, according to his own words, was supposed to be 123 years old. But, unfortunately, there are no documents confirming the date of birth of Labazanov.
A hungry life and a well-fed deathAlcohol, smoking, fatty and sweet hardly fit with philistine ideas about healthy eating and lifestyle.
At a minimum, they contradict the beliefs of most people and make them doubt what is good and what is bad. Jeanne Kalman drank, smoked and still did not go to the doctors, having stepped over a hundred. Susanna Jones still loves a dense and fatty breakfast. Geralyn Talley prayed to God and played bowling.
Demographic aging of the population and an increase in life expectancy has led to a rapid growth of gerontological research. Scientists are looking for longevity genes, products that prolong life, substances that slow down aging, and other elixirs of youth. However, significant differences in diet and lifestyle between centenarians and ordinary mortals have not yet been found. Among those who are over a hundred, and those who did not make it, there are both those who go to the bar and those who go to church.
In search of the gene of youth, scientists have deciphered the genome of 17 people over 110 years old. Contrary to expectations, they did not find a specific gene responsible for longevity, but instead, some, on the contrary, found mutations leading to cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
The discovery in the study was the following: genes that were "turned on" in ordinary people at 70-80 years old (in especially unlucky ones even earlier) and led to the development of age-related diseases, in the case of centenarians for some reason "were silent".
Scientists have suggested that it is the passivity of certain genes that slows down aging. And this property may be inherited. Therefore, it is difficult to meet a single centenarian. Longevity is a family feature.
According to gerontologists, those whom nature has deprived of biological means for a long life can independently prolong their existence. To do this, an extensive group of researchers from Harvard, the University of Illinois, Columbia University and other leading educational institutions in the United States proposed to begin with, in a general scientific manner, to change the enemy and fight not diseases, but aging as such.
The best way to delay aging, unfortunately for many, was a low-calorie diet, which was confirmed in experiments on mice.
Calorie restriction in the diet allowed the mice to prolong their life by about 50%. After death and autopsy, it turned out that the rodents on the diet had significantly fewer problems with the cardiovascular system and internal organs. The same story happens with a human as with a mouse: changes in metabolism and cell function can rejuvenate the body. Only one thing is unclear: who would want to live half-starved and even twice as long.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru
22.06.2015