- Andrew E. Slavonic of Pennsylvania turned 101 on December 1.
- He told Fox News he credits his long life to his daily Coors Light.
- INSIDER has rounded up what other centenarians have said about their secret to longevity, and you wouldn't find their advice in many health books.
A centenarian in Pennsylvania credits his long life to cheap beer.
Andrew E. Slavonic of Pennsylvania turned 101 on December 1. In an interview with Fox News, Slavonic said his secret to health is the Coors Light he has drank every day for the past 15 years.
His son, Bob, who he moved in with two years ago, shares the daily ritual with him.
"Around 4 p.m., he tells me that it is 4 p.m., and it is time for our beer," Bob said. "He gets his Coors Light from the garage beer fridge and enjoys a nice cold one."
"The bluer the mountains are on the can, the better," Bob added.
What does science have to say about Slavonic's hoppy habit? While a recent study found that people over the age of 90 often drink moderately, severalotherstudies have shown that drinking alcohol leads to increased mortality.
Researchers have linked some lifestyle habits to longevity, such as exercising, eating a plant-based diet, avoiding alcohol and tobacco, and maintaining a healthy weight. But a lot of aging has to do with your genes.
Here's what five other centenarians have credited as their secret to longevity, and whether their tips are backed by science.
Emma Morano, lived to 117
Former oldest person alive Emma Morano told The Independent in 2016 that her long life was due to "being single."
The Italian woman left her violent husband in 1938, shortly after their only son died in infancy. She never settled down with another man.
Among her other lifelong habits was drinking brandy and having a breakfast of two raw eggs and one cooked egg every day since the age of 20 when she was diagnosed with anemia.
She also became a vegetarian out of fear that meat causes cancer.
She died in April 2017 at the age of 117.
What the science says: The Terman Life-Cycle Study, the longest-running study ever conducted on longevity, backs up Morano's claim that singledom could have helped her live longer, according to Psychology Today.
The study, which has followed the lives of 1,528 men and women who were 11 years old in 1921, found that two groups of people tended to live the longest: Those who stayed single, and those who married and stayed married. So while being single could help, marrying someone and not divorcing could be just as beneficial.
Being a vegetarian also likely helped Morano live longer. Studies have found that vegetarianism is linked with lower chances of heart disease and cancers, and higher chances of living longer. As for Morano's egg-eating habit, nutritionists told The Express that eating six eggs a week could boost overall health, which could ultimately help you avoid an early death.
Source: The Independent, The Express, Psychology Today, The Conversation, Business Insider, Nutrients
Violet Brown, lived to 117
Violet Brown of Jamaica was the oldest living person for five months, until she died in September 2017.
In 2016, her son Harold told the Jamaica Observer that his mother had stayed healthy for so long by eating small meals and never eating pork or chicken. Her diet was made up of "fish and mutton," sweet potatoes, breadfruit, oranges and the occasional "cow foot."
She also didn't drink.
"Really and truly, when people ask what me eat and drink to live so long, I say to them that I eat everything, except pork and chicken, and I don't drink rum and dem tings. You know, sometimes I ask myself, 'Am I really 110 years old?' because I don't feel like 110," Brown told the Jamaica Gleaner in 2010.
She said she thought her longevity had more to do with her faith. The devout Baptist said in the interview that following the Ten Commandments helped her live a long life.
What the science says: A recent Ohio State University study did find that people who were religious typically lived four years longer than those who weren't. Laura Wallace, the lead author on the study, told Newsweek that "religious affiliation had nearly as strong an affect on longevity as gender does, which is a matter of years of life."
LiveScience reported that the study backed up previous research, but that the findings did need to be replicated.
Brown's focus on vegetarian foods likely helped her longevity, as well.
Sources: Jamaica Observer, Jamaica Gleaner, Social Psychological and Personality Science, Newsweek, LiveScience, TIME
Adele Dunlap, lived to 114
Adele was once the oldest living person in the US before she died in February 2017.
During her later life, the New Jersey woman told CBS New York/AP that she was baffled by her old age because she was never particularly healthy.
"She never went out jogging or anything like that," her son, Earl, said in 2016. "She smoked, and when my father had his first heart attack, they both stopped. I think she ate anything she wanted."
But among the foods she did choose to eat was nutrient-packed oatmeal, according to NJ.com.
What the science says: Many studies have shown that a sentient lifestyle and smoking can lead to an early death, but one study found eating oatmeal could help with longevity.
Sources: The Guardian, CBS New York/AP, NJ.com, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, USA Today, Business Insider
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