How to Live to 110: Advice from 9 Supercentenarians!
Until 2015 when she passed away at the age of 117 in a care facility in Osaka, Japan, Misao Okawa was the oldest living person in the world. Think about this, Okawa, the supercentenarian, lived in 3 centuries – the 1800s, the 1900s, and the 2000s – how crazy is that?!?!?
We will put that into a bit more perspective in a bit but first let’s answer an obvious question that you may have, which is…
What is a Supercentenarian?
A supercentenarian is simply someone who has lived to the age of 110 or more.
The term supercentenarian was coined back in 1970 by Norris McWhirter, who was the editor of the Guinness Book of World Records. According to Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles, author of Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life: “Today there are an estimated 300 to 450 supercentenarians in the world, although the age of only around 75 of them has been confirmed. They aren’t superheroes, but we could see them as such for having spent far more time on this planet than the average life expectancy would predict.” 2
What Do the Research Studies Say About Supercentenarians?
A study done by Schoenhoften et al revealed:
“Centenarians have been found to exhibit marked delays in functional decline and in most cases age-related lethal diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and stroke.11 Compression of functional decline toward the relative end of their long lives might be a prerequisite or at least a marker of the ability to live to 100. Early experience with supercentenarians has led to the hypothesis that such a delay must be extended at least through age 100 for a person to survive to age 110 or older.” 1
Wow, well that’s shocking, I would have never guessed! (please note my sarcasm!)
Ok, So What Do the Supercentenarians Themselves Attribute for Their Longevity?
Let’s now look at what some of these supercentenarians (superheroes) had to say regarding their longevity:
(1) Maria Capovilla (116)
Capovilla, who at the time was recognized by Guinness as the world’s oldest person, was born in Ecuador in 1889 and passed away in 2006.
When asked about her secret to a long life, she responded:
“I don’t know what the secret to a long life is. The only thing I do is I’ve never eaten meat in my life. I attribute it to that.” 2
(2) Jeanne Calment (122)
Calment, who was born in France lived to a ripe old age of 122, making her the oldest person of verified age in history!
One of her secrets may have very well been her amazing sense of humor! On her 120th birthday, she was quoted as saying “I see badly, I hear badly, and I feel bad, but everything’s fine.”
(3) Walter Breuning (114)
At the time of his death, Breuning who was born in Minnesota in 1896 and died in Montana in 2011, was the second-oldest man ever born in the United States (of verified age).
As Garcia and Miralles pointed out in their book:
“He gave many interviews in his final years, insisting that his longevity stemmed from, among other things, his habit of eating only two meals per day and working for as many years as he could. “Your mind and your body. You keep both busy,” he said on his 112th birthday, “you’ll be here a long time.” Back then he was still exercising every day.” 2
(4) Alexander Imich (111)
Imich, originally from Poland, was the oldest man of authenticated age in the world upon the death of his predecessor in 2014. He himself passed away several months later but not before he could attribute his longevity to never drinking alcohol.
(5) Daisy Bastin (111)
Bastin of the United Kingdom turned 111 in May of this year and attributes her longevity to good friends and onions!
“‘I am very lucky in my life to have had such loyal friends and to still be in good health…Onions keep me going. They’re good for the skin too.” 6
(6) Maude Harris (111)
Harris gave some great advice last August 15 in Hialeah, Florida at “Maude Harris Day” while celebrating her 111th birthday:
“I think I have lived so long because I was interested in this world,” she said in an email. “Where we came from, where we’re going, and how we can affect a peaceful future. We need to learn to work together.” 7
She went on to say:
“God put us here for a purpose…It was not to improve our own self but to make a world that is fair and it’s livable for everyone. This means cooperation to improve our future so that it is successful for all. We have to do our best to improve everyone’s life…We need to have more tolerance for different opinions and treat others with respect.” 7
Pretty great advice if you ask me!
(7) Cecile Klein (112)
While good genetics may be part of the reason for Klein’s longevity (her great-great-grandmother lived to be 103), there may be another secret to her long life.
According to her granddaughter:
“If she dropped her cane and you went to pick it up for her, she would object, saying: “If I don’t do it myself, I won’t be able to do it any longer…It’s her attitude that kept her going. When she fell and broke her pelvis in Toronto about 20 years ago and she was told she’d never walk again, Cecile responded ‘Oh yes I will’, and she proved them wrong. It’s her attitude that keeps her going.” 8
(8) Opal Goode (112)
Goode, of California, who just turned 112 in June, credits her long life to a combination of hard work and clean living as she said:
“You know hard word never killed anybody. If you eat right, get plenty of rest and don’t indulge,” 9
Let’s Put the Incredible Life of Misao Okawa Into Perspective…
As I said in the introduction, she lived in 3 centuries, being born in 1898 and dying in 2015.
To put into perspective how long she lived, let’s examine how modes of communication evolved throughout her lifetime:
1876: the telephone was invented just before her birth
1930: the first videophone
1959: the first pager
1964: Xerox fax machine
1973: mobile phone
1981: first mobile (cellular) phone network
1982: SMTP email
1992: first text message
2003: Skype
2007: iPhone
2010: the proliferation of social media on mobile devices
It just blows my mind the kind of change she saw in her lifetime, wow!
In terms of advice on longevity, Okawa gave some regarding her self-care routine:
“Eating sushi and sleeping.” 2
Sounds good to me!
Before We Go, One of My Favorite Supercentenarians I Read About Was…
… a woman named Vera Van Wagner, who was the 3rd oldest person in the United States at the time of her passing in 20173. She may have had the best advice for long living that I have seen!
In an interview with Hudson Valley Magazine at the age of 110, she responded to the question “Is there one secret to long-living you can share?”, by saying:
“Not dying.”
Clearly, having a sense of humor is important!
On that note, I think it’s time for this blogger to go have some sushi and a nap! I still have a long way to go if I am going to be a supercentenarian!
Until next time, cheers to all you supercentenarians out there, pass the sushi, and as always…PYMFP!
–Rick
What Do You Think?
What do you think of some of the advice from these supercentenarians? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
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References
1 Schoenhofen, Emily A et al. “Characteristics of 32 supercentenarians.” Journal of the American Geriatrics Society vol. 54,8 (2006): 1237-40. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2006.00826.x
2 Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life
3 https://gerontology.wikia.org/wiki/Vera_Van_Wagner
4 http://www.hvmag.com/Hudson-Valley-Magazine/Vera-Van-Wagner-Supercentenarian/
5 Supercentenarians, Editors: H. Maier, J.Gampe, B. Jeune, J.W. Vaupel, J.-M Robine. Springer-Verlag, 2010.
6 https://metro.co.uk/2019/05/03/onions-secret-long-life-says-woman-just-turned-111-9406469/
7 https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/community-voices/article217883905.html
8 http://www.theseniortimes.com/at-111-cecile-klein-is-a-witness-to-montreal-history/
9 https://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/update-ridgecrest-woman-turns-112-years-old
Very interesting views on why people believe they have lived a long life. I think balance is the key. Eat healthy , exercise regularly , sleep 7- 8 hours, have a sense of humor and friends to share it with should provide a fairly balanced lifestyle. Of course, as Dave mentioned, genetics plays a role and in some cases the inherited diseases cannot be overcome. In the meantime, I think I will avoid meat and alcohol and eat lots of onions with good friends who have a sense of humour!(lol)
Hi Eileen, There is no doubt that balance is important along with many of the factors that you listed. And of course, genetics definitely play a big part! Be good, Rick
I’m glad you mentioned genetics as a factor, something I firmly believe in. Also, it seems to be well established that women, on average, have a longer life span than men. Only two of the people mentioned in the article are male. I sure do not expect to reach 110; my goal is 90 and everything after that becomes a bonus. The odds are in my favor – my father lived to be 91 and my mother is rapidly approaching 97 next month. My Dad’s last remaining sibling died in 2014 at 101.
Advances in medical science are also a major contributor to advancing life spans. Organ transplants, vaccines, and periodic exams by a doctor – all contribute to longer life, as do public health efforts that eradicated smallpox, yellow fever, and polio. I still remember, either first or second grade, the government sponsored medical teams coming to the school and everybody lining up for polio shots.
Another factor would be escaping or avoiding the modern “rat race”. Unfortunately I was trapped up in it until 10 years ago when I retired. Seems that many who achieved advanced age lived in rural areas where the lifestyle was simpler and the pace much slower.
Disasters must also be factored into the equation. How many who died in Katrina or Chernobyl would have made it to 100, given different circumstances?
Life is a crap shoot. Keep rolling those sevens and elevens as long as possible. And maintain a good sense of humor.
Hi Dave, Wow, sounds like you definitely have some good genetics working in your favor! Great observation on the number of women, that’s something I noticed in my research as well. Advances in medical science definitely contribute to advancing life span, and it is only going to get better – which also is going to put a strain on people’s finances as they will have to work longer to be able to support themselves for more years. The rat race you mention is another great point, it’s called stress for a reason. Thanks for the strong and well thought out comments, as always. Take care, Rick