As the world’s oldest man, John Tinniswood, turns 112 today, many of us are wondering what the secret is behind his exceptionally long life.
Mr Tinniswood, from Merseyside, credits fish and chips for his longevity, while others cite sleep and home cooking as secrets to making it past the 100-year mark.
But even though the world’s longest-living people may think they have all the answers, scientists warn that people should think twice before following their advice.
From a daily shot of hard liquor to regular trips to the fish and chips shop, some of the advice from the world’s longest-living people may be useless or even harmful to your health.
Professor Richard Faragher, an expert in the science of ageing at the University of Brighton, told MailOnline: “It’s probably not a good idea to take these guys’ health advice.”
John Tinniswood was born in Liverpool on August 26, 1912, the year the Titanic sank, and in April he became the world’s oldest living man. He says there’s nothing special about him
Like Mr Tinniswood, pictured celebrating his 110th birthday with carers at his care home in 2022, experts suggest some people live to be over 100 thanks to nothing more than good luck.
Many of the world’s longest-living people tend to attribute their long life to a specific habit or lifestyle choice.
Spaniard Maria Branyas Morera, who was the world’s oldest person until her death earlier this month, attributed her longevity to positivitya good connection with family and nature, as well as ‘getting away from toxic people’ and ’emotional stability’.
Others, such as John Tinniswood (the world’s oldest man at 112) suggest that diet may be an important factor in his long-term good health.
Mr Tinniswood, who was born in Liverpool in 1912 and lives in Southport, became the world’s oldest man in April and turns 112 today.
He has attributed his long life to eating “everything in moderation” and a daily serving of battered fish and chips.
The world’s former longest-living man, Juan Vicente Pérez Mora, who died aged 116, also suggested diet was a factor, citing his daily glass of aguardiente, a sugar cane liquor, as a key factor.
However, according to Professor Faragher, trying to follow the lifestyle of the world’s oldest people could be futile or, at worst, actively harmful.
Experts are still not sure exactly why some people can live so long, but Professor Faragher explains there are two likely reasons that are not mutually exclusive.
The first theory is that people who live a long time may be different at a genetic level.
Professor Faragher says the reason centenarians live so long is that they have remained healthy for most of their lives.
For example, Ms. Morera’s family had previously said the supercentenarian had experienced a nearly impeccable health record.
Venezuelan Juan Vicente Pérez Mora died two months before his 115th birthday. During his life he said he drank a glass of aguardiente, a sugar cane liquor, every day.
However, experts believe Mr Mora’s long life may be due to an unknown genetic factor rather than specific health decisions.
Her daughter, Rosa Moret, speaking to Catalan regional television in 2023, said: ‘She has never been to the hospital, she has never broken any bones, she is fine, she is not in any pain.’
The waters get even muddier with the second possible explanation for why people live so long: they’re just very lucky.
“The important thing is whether it’s fundamentally different genetics or whether they’re the luckiest guys in the world,” Professor Faragher added.
When centenarians are asked what the secret of a long life is, they tend to name certain lifestyle habits, such as eating fish and chips, believing in God, drinking hard liquor or sleeping eight hours.
But it is not necessarily these habits that caused their longevity, as others have also adopted these habits and have not lived as long, something known as “survivorship bias.”
Maria Branyas Morera (pictured) passed away this month at the age of 117, leaving many wondering why she lived so long.
Mrs Morera, pictured at her wedding to Catalan doctor Joan Moret, aged 23, in 1931, attributed her long life to positivity and staying away from “toxic people”.
Put another way, if someone lives to be 112 and eats fish and chips every day, it’s easy to assume that they live that long because they eat fish and chips.
But just because someone has a particular habit and lives a long time, there should be no reason to assume that one causes the other.
In fact, many of the world’s oldest people may live to be over 100 despite their lifestyle habits, not because of them.
Interestingly, this is a view shared by John Tinniswood, who said: “You either live long or you live short and you can’t do much about it.”
Experts say health advice from the world’s oldest people should not be followed as it is unlikely to help. Pictured is the world’s oldest woman, Tomiko Itooka, celebrating her 116th birthday. She is currently the world’s oldest living person.
Several centenarians have also been smokers: a 112-year-old Nepalese woman, Batuli Lamichhane, smoked 30 cigarettes a day.
This clearly contradicts population-based studies of smoking and life expectancy, so we should not expect smoking to have been the cause of Ms Lamichhane’s long life.
Overall, whether it’s genetics, sheer luck or a combination of both that has allowed these people to survive for so long, Professor Faragher says you shouldn’t follow their advice.
He explains: ‘If they are genetically different, it’s not going to help you at all, and if they are extremely lucky, you probably won’t be.
“What you should probably do, if you’re interested in staying healthy, is not follow the advice of centenarians.”
Batuli Lamichhane, one of the world’s oldest people at 112, smokes 30 cigarettes a day. Scientists say the fact that he lived a long time smoking is no indication that smoking helps you live longer
This means that there is little point in drinking a glass of hard liquor every day, as it probably won’t help you live longer and may even make you less healthy.
The exception to that rule is when a centenarian’s advice matches what we know about healthy life expectancy at the population level.
For example, when someone like Elizabeth Francis, then 114, said to avoid alcohol, maintain friendships and exercise regularly, it was still good advice.
Ultimately, experts say the best way to add a few extra years to your life is to address the simple factors that affect your health, such as diet and exercise, rather than following very specific advice.
Professor Faragher concludes: ‘I consider myself a very down-to-earth person, so my advice is always to do the basics first.
‘Before people start wondering what wonder supplement they should take, stop having curry and six pints of beer first.’
