Scientists explain why you should never listen to health advice from the world's oldest people

Scientists are trying to figure out why some people live beyond 100 years. But experts say it's best to avoid advice from millennials when doing so.

Scientists say there are two main theories to explain longevity. And both warn, "Never, ever take health and lifestyle advice from a centenarian," because they are ineffective, according to researchers, writes TheGuardian.

Last week, the world's oldest person, Maria Branias Morera, died at the age of 117. After the demise of the record holder, many wondered about the secrets of a long life.

According to the Guinness World Records website, Branias believed her longevity was due to "order, tranquility, good communication with family and friends, contact with nature, emotional stability, lack of worry and regret, lots of positivity and staying away from toxic people."

However, Richard Faragher, professor of biogerontology at the University of Brighton, said that indeed scientists are still trying to figure out why some people live more than 100 years. And according to him, you shouldn't listen to all the advice of long-livers, because every person is special and so this advice can't be applied to everyone.

Faragher said there are two main theories to explain long life. The first, he said, states that some people are just lucky. That is, just because centenarians had certain habits, it didn't mean those habits were the driving force behind their longevity.

"Just because you survived by smoking 60 cigarettes a day doesn't mean it's good for you," Faragher says.

The second theory, according to the scientist, is that centenarians have specific genetic traits that allow them to live longer.

Richard Faragher emphasized that both theories led to one warning. Never, ever take health and lifestyle advice from a centenarian. Most centenarians more often than not - and this is a generalization - don't do much exercise. Often their diet is quite unhealthy," said the professor.

Richard Faragher also added that some centenarians are smokers. "This is contrary to much of the epidemiologic evidence we have on how to extend healthy life expectancy," he said.

The scientist cited a large study showing that quitting smoking, exercising, drinking in moderation and eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day can increase life expectancy by up to 14 years.

"The fact that long-lived people do many of these unhealthy behaviors and still just hang on to life suggests that they are either lucky or they are usually very well genetically gifted," Faragher observed.

Maria Branias once admitted that luck played a role in her long life, while her daughter Rosa Moret attributed it to genetics. "She has never gone to the hospital, she has never broken a bone, she is fine, she has no pain," Moret told regional Catalan television in 2023.

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