World's oldest person shares her secret

[liondolphin]

Those kale salads aren't the secret to living forever — it's actually sushi and sleeping. Take it from Misaw Okawa, a Japanese woman who is celebrating her 116th birthday tomorrow, and who just revealed the secrets to living an eternal life. The oldest person in the world follows a surprisingly simple routine of eating three large meals a day and taking a nap when she's tired. How revolutionary.

"Eat and sleep and you will live a long time. You have to learn to relax," Okawa said, adding that she consumes sushi at least once a month. Born in 1898, she's a great-great-grandmother of six and has resided in a retirement home for nearly two decades. Her daughter is 94 years old.

Here's to another 116 years, Misaw.
- - Jordan Valinsky

http://theweek.com/article/index/257339 ... d-sleeping

interesting article no doubt..

[RRM]

In my opinion, stories about individuals tell us nothing.
Some individuals get extremely old and healthy with smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day.
Some flourish on a diet of well-done hamburgers.
Individual stories are not telling.
Whats telling, is statistical data of very large groups of people.

[liondolphin]

but what makes some people able to live so long and healthy smoking cigarettes every day? they are human just like us. why does it work for them but not us? do they have special genes? we cant just dismiss them because it is an anomaly.

[dime]

It's genetical mostly. I think I read her children are now around 90-100 as well.

[RRM]

It's genetical mostly.

Yes, individual susceptibility to disease is mostly about genetic make up.
But if we talk about the increase in cancer incidence (statistical data) or Alzheimer's, for example,
then its about the conditions that cause this.
In my opinion, the latter is far more interesting, as its about what we can actually do about it right now.
You cannot change your genetic susceptibility to cancer (in the future, maybe), but now you CAN diminish the exposure of cancer inducing compounds, and/or increase autophagy, cleaning up cancers cells.

Of course, its also interesting to know what genetic alteration makes one less vulnerable to cancer (eg the activity of specific P450 enzymes), but that's more a theoretical issue, and for my own health (and that of others), i'm more interested in preventing the (practical) uptake of carcinogens and empowering my defence.