• Tomiko Itooka was the oldest person in the world when she died last month aged 116.
• Another 116-year-old, Inah Canabarro Lucas of Brazil, now holds the title.
• Here are the two women's very different longevity secrets.

The world's oldest person who died at the age of 116, and her successor, have very different secrets to longevity.

Tomiko Itooka, who lived in Ashiya, Japan, died on December 29 at the age of 116 years and 220 days.

She was succeeded by Inah Canabarro Lucas, a nun who lives in Porto Alegre, Brazil, who was 116 and 212 days old as of January 6. Lucas is one of only three living people confirmed to have been born before 1910.

It's extremely rare to live to 116 — and just 0.03% of the US population is over 100, according to the Pew Research Center's analysis of US Census data. A combination of genetics, lifestyle, and luck, are though to contribute to a person's longevity — but we don't know for sure why some people live so long.

Here's what they both credited their longevity to.

Itooka said bananas and a Japanese drink helped her live to 116

Itooka married at 20 and was an office manager at her husband's factory during World War 2, according to LongeviQuest, an organization that verifies the ages of supercentenarians. She was very active and enjoyed hiking. She twice climbed Mount Ontake, which is 10,062 feet high, and did a pilgrimage of more than 600 miles to 33 temples in the Kansai region in her 80s.

Itooka also drank a popular Japanese fermented drink called Calpis every morning, LongeviQuest reported, and loved bananas — two things she credited her longevity to.

There's some evidence that lactic acid bacteria, which are found in Calpis, could be beneficial for longevity, according to a 2024 review published in the journal Aging and Disease. However, the researchers say further investigation is needed.

Fermented foods are generally great for gut health because they increase the diversity of microbes in the digestive system, epidemiologist and nutrition expert Tim Spector previously told Business Insider.

Hiking could also have contributed to Itooka's longevity. Such activity can offset the life-shortening impacts of being sedentary, a 2016 American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine article found.

Lucas attributed her longevity to God

Lucas was a teacher who became a Catholic nun at the age of 26.

She thinks God is the secret to her longevity. "He is the secret of life. He is the secret of everything," she told LongeviQuest last February.

Researchers from LongeviQuest previously told BI that religiousness is a common thread among the oldest people in Latin America they have verified.

A 2018 study by researchers at Ohio State University on 1,600 obituaries supports this. It found that people whose obituaries mentioned religious activities lived, on average, 10 years longer than those whose obituaries did not. The researchers thought this could be because religion gives people social support and opportunities to volunteer.

• The US Surgeon General has released a new report highlighting that moderate drinking can cause cancer.
• Richard Piper, an alcohol harm expert used to drink heavily.
• His 'dry by default' rule helped him reduce the risks of drinking without going sober.

This story was originally published in November 2024. On January 3, 2025, the US surgeon general said drinking alcohol was a leading risk factor for developing cancer. He recommended updating warning labels on beverages and adjusting the consumption levels health officials suggest.

At 52, Richard Piper runs often, feels full of energy, weighs less, and enjoys concerts and holidays more than he did at 42 — which he attributes to being "dry by default."

Piper told Business Insider that he drank heavily every day for years. But after becoming the CEO of Alcohol Change UK, a harm reduction charity, in 2017, he realized he needed to change his drinking habits.

He joined a growing number of people who are drinking less, particularly Gen Zers and millennials. A survey carried out by Gallop between 2021 and 2023 found that 62% of respondents, who were adults aged 18 to 34 in the US, drank alcohol, down from 72% between 2001 and 2003.

Being "dry by default" means Piper is sober most of the time but will drink on rare occasions — for example, when a non-alcoholic alternative to a beer he likes isn't available.

He prefers this over being sober because he can lower his risk of alcohol-related harm without following "permanent lifelong rules," he said.

On Friday, Vivek Murthy, the US Surgeon General, issued a new report stating that alcohol is a leading preventable cause of cancer and increases the risk of developing at least seven types of cancer, including breast, mouth, and colorectal. Murthy called for more awareness of the causal link between drinking alcohol and cancer when people decide whether or how much to drink.

"There is no such thing as healthy drinking," Piper said before Murthy's report was published. "But there's more risky drinking and less risky drinking. And the less you drink, the healthier it is."

Research suggests all drinking is harmful — even in moderation

Some studies have suggested that moderate drinking could be better for you than not drinking. But more recent studies have indicated that the data that pointed to this was flawed — it didn't take into account that people are more likely to stop drinking if they're ill or dealing with addiction, meaning their ill health was in spite of not drinking, not because of it.

Now, growing evidence suggests that no amount of alcohol is safe.

According to the US Surgeon General's report, 25% of cancer cases worldwide in 2020 occurred in people who drank two or fewer alcoholic drinks a day.

Drinking alcohol brings risks to other parts of people's lives, too, not just health. "Alcohol can lead to poor decision-making — about getting home safely, about who you talk to, and what you say to them — and makes many of us do things that we wouldn't do otherwise," Piper said.

You don't have to quit drinking to lower the health risks

The US Department of Health and Human Services recommends adults drink moderately, meaning fewer than one to two drinks a day, or don't drink at all.

One to two units of alcohol a week is genuinely low risk for dying from alcohol and alcohol-related issues, Piper said.

Generally, most people would see benefits from drinking less, he said — including losing weight, saving money, sleeping better, having more energy, and easing depression and anxiety. And that's on top of things you can't see, such as lower cancer risks.

"Make sure you have a really good reason for having a drink," he said, and that the benefits of drinking outweigh the risks.

"Basically the less you drink, the better for your health, your mental health, and your well-being," Piper said, even if you don't give up completely.

"It's always good to have a few days off a week. Alcohol should be on the periphery of our lives, not at the center," he said.

• Chris Curle, 77, does yoga and walks daily.
• She shared her tips for staying active and healthy into older age with Business Insider.
• These include going on field trips and not letting age hold you back.

A 77-year-old who does yoga and goes on daily walks shared three things that she believes have helped her stay healthy and active with Business Insider.

Chris Curle and her husband, Don Farmer, were anchors on CNN for a decade. When they retired in 1997, they moved from Atlanta to Florida to be close to her aging parents and nature. Farmer died in 2021, and Curle now lives at the Vi at Bentley Village senior living community in Naples, Florida.

Curle does yoga classes twice a week at the community's fitness center and walks at least a mile every day, she told Business Insider. Bentley Village is set over 150 acres of land, some of which is a reserve, so she sees all kinds of animals, including alligators, bears, coyotes, bobcats, and raccoons, on her walks.

Shai Efrati, a doctor specializing in longevity and an associate professor at Tel Aviv University, previously told BI that staying active is one key to healthy aging, alongside other basics of longevity such as limiting ultra-processed foods.

Here are Curle's other simple tips.

Go on field trips

"You have to have a lot of curiosity and maintain that your whole life," Curle said. To do this, she goes on lots of "field trips" — half or full-day excursions to local attractions similar to the ones she used to do at school.

"Every community has something interesting nearby or something to do or something to learn," she said. She's been to local botanical gardens, museums, nature reserves, ranches, and festivals. She often takes friends along with her — although she's never afraid to go alone, she said.

Staying curious was a common trait among centenarians who participated in a 2023 study by researchers at the Complutense University of Madrid.

Stay mentally active

"Staying active and keeping your body and your brain working, that seems to be the formula the experts provide" for longevity, Curle said.

Curle learns new skills, including Tai Chi, and attends lectures at a local university on topics such as history, entertainment, and tech.

Keeping the mind active and learning new skills is thought to be one of the keys to longevity, Heidi Tissenbaum, a professor of biology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School who researches healthspan, previously told BI. This is because doing new things creates pathways in the brain, which keeps it active and healthy.

You're only as old as you feel

"When you're 77, the mirror says something entirely different from how you feel inside," Curle said. "But go with whatever your brain thinks your age is. And celebrate every birthday because it's better than the alternative!"

A 2022 study published in JAMA Network Open found that adults over 50 who thought more positively about aging had a 43% lower risk of dying of any cause than people who were less satisfied by their aging. They were also more likely to do frequent physical activity and less likely to be lonely.

• Former President Jimmy Carter's grandson credited his longevity to exercise.
• Carter died at 100 on Sunday and was the longest-living president in US history.
• But Jason Carter told Time before his grandfather died that he would have attributed his longevity to his marriage.

The grandson of late President Jimmy Carter said that his grandfather's exercise habits may have contributed to his longevity. 

Carter died on Sunday at 100, making him the longest-living commander-in-chief in US history.

He was treated for brain and liver cancer in 2015, and had been in hospice care since February 2023.

Jason Carter, a former Georgia Democratic state senator and the party's 2014 gubernatorial nominee, told Time in 2023 that his grandfather consistently made an effort to find places to jog during his many travels, and later switched to biking as he grew older. 

He said: "If he got to a new city that he had never been to before, whether there was Secret Service or not, he would say, 'Hey, is there a bike?'"

The former president also previously played tennis daily. 

However, Jason Carter said that his grandfather would likely have credited his longevity to his 77-year marriage with his wife, Rosalynn Carter, who died in 2023.

"The best thing I ever did was marry Rosalynn," the former president said during a 2015 interview at the Carter Center in Atlanta. "That's the pinnacle of my life."

Jimmy Carter served as a Georgia state senator from 1963 to 1967 before his stint as governor from 1971 to 1975.

Running for the White House in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, he won the 1976 presidential election, defeating then-President Gerald Ford, but lost his reelection bid to former California Gov. Ronald Reagan in 1980.

After leaving Washington, the Carters returned to their native Georgia. The former president received widespread recognition across the globe for his early efforts to combat climate change and his decades-long humanitarian work.

Jason Carter told Time that his grandfather's tenure in the Oval Office was very much a "millennial presidency," noting that many of the policy items that younger Americans currently want to see addressed were things that the former president foresaw in the 1970s and 1980s.

"If we had listened to his presidency when they started talking about climate change, when they started talking about changing the way that we consume energy, solar and alternative sources — we would be far, far ahead of where we are now," he said.

Jason Carter told the Journal-Constitution in August that his grandfather was "more alert and interested in politics and the war in Gaza," and was trying to "make it" to November 2024 to vote for Kamala Harris in the US presidential election.

• Jimmy Carter has died at 100: the average life expectancy for men in the US is 73.5.
• Carter's 77-year marriage could have been key to his long life, longevity expert Dan Buettner said.
• Research suggests married people, especially men, live longer than their unmarried counterparts.

Former President Jimmy Carter, who died at age 100 on Sunday, said marrying his wife Rosalynn at age 21 was the "best thing" he ever did.

The couple were married for 77 years before Rosalynn died at age 96 last year — making their union the longest of any presidential couple. Rosalynn was diagnosed with dementia months before her death.

Together, they shared four children and 22 grandchildren. They resided at their modest family home in Plains, Georgia.

The former president surpassed the average US male life expectancy of 73.5 by more than 20 years, and his committed, loving relationship could have played a major role in his longevity, research suggests.

Marriage can have serious health benefits — especially for men

When researchers looked at the life expectancy and marital statuses of 164,597 Americans over age 65, they found that married men and women lived, on average, two years longer than their unmarried counterparts.

Even marriages that end can have a beneficial effect on our longevity. People who were divorced or widowed also tended to live longer than those who had never been married, according to the same 2020 study. (Important caveat: Unhappy marriages in which partners constantly criticize one another or are too demanding and controlling can erase these health benefits.)

Experts say the reasons marriage has great health benefits are numerous and complex, and the exact reasons why are still poorly understood. But there does seem to be something protective about the social bonds and support that a healthy union can provide, with more built-in opportunities to socialize and connect.

What we do know is that the health benefits of marriage seem to be greater for men than for women. Another study, published in March 2023, found that bachelors with heart failure were twice as likely to die within five years, compared to married men with the same heart issues.

Decades of other research point to similar findings. Being married can decrease a person's risk of heart disease, cancer, and other life-shortening health conditions like hypertension and high cholesterol.

Author and longevity expert Dan Buettner, the man who pioneered the idea that there are five "Blue Zones" for centenarians, told Business Insider that "investing in a spouse is a core value in all Blue Zones," whether a couple lives in Okinawa, Ikaria, Nicoya, Loma Linda, or Sardinia.

"Staying in a committed relationship is absolutely associated with about two years of extra life expectancy (and more for men) over being divorced or single," Buettner said.

It's a key part of the way that some of the world's longest lived people connect with their tribe, and put their loved ones first, reducing inflammation in the body, promoting healthy behaviors, and keeping loneliness in check.

• Dr. Michael Roizen is a longevity expert who says he's reversed his age by 20 years.
• There are a few bare-minimum things you can do to live longer, he said.
• These include getting vaccinated, playing brain-training games, and eating salmon.

It can be tough to find the time to take care of our health. But a doctor who says he's reversed his age by 20 years believes focusing on six basics could help us stay healthy for longer.

Dr. Michael Roizen, 78, the chief wellness officer at Cleveland Clinic, told Business Insider his "biological age" was 57.6, based on the health of his organs and his risk of chronic disease. (There's no agreed definition of biological age or how it can be measured.)

Roizen is all about finding lifestyle changes that can help people live healthily for as long as possible. But he said that "there are small things and easy things to do that make a big difference" to longevity, even if people can't overhaul their lifestyles.

Below are the six things he thinks everyone should do to live longer.

Walk more

Roizen tries to do 10,000 steps a day as part of his weekly workout routine and said everyone should "try to walk a little more."

To add movement to his commute, for instance, he parks his car as far away from his work as possible and walks the rest of the way.

Walking fewer than 10,000 steps — a somewhat arbitrary number with its origins in marketing — still has benefits. One 2023 study by researchers at the University of Cambridge in the UK found that people who briskly walked for 75 minutes a week had a lower risk of dying from any cause or developing cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

Eat avocado, salmon, and olive oil

BI previously reported on the seven foods Roizen eats for longevity. But he said that eating just three of these — avocado, salmon, and olive oil — would still merit health benefits. Studies have linked all three to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

Have strong relationships

Nurturing friendships is a "fun" way to boost health and longevity, Roizen said. Plus, "it's always better to do things with other people," he added.

Rose Anne Kenny, a professor of aging who's the lead researcher on The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing at Trinity College Dublin, said having strong social connections is just as important for longevity as a healthy diet and getting enough exercise, BI previously reported.

Play speed-of-processing games

Roizen recommended playing speed-of-processing games, which are brain-training games that research suggests may help improve how quickly your brain works. Roizen recommended two: "Double Decision" and "Freeze Frame."

Referencing a 2017 study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia, Roizen said practicing these games could reduce the risk of dementia. The study found that older adults who played 10 sessions of these games over an initial six-week period and then did top-up sessions 11 and 35 months later had a 29% lower risk of dementia after 10 years.

Roizen recommended playing these games for two hours a week for five weeks to try to replicate the study results.

Take a multivitamin

Research is mixed on whether taking multivitamins is beneficial for longevity.

Roizen cited studies that found the risks of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and dementia were reduced in people who took multivitamins for years.

But recent research has suggested these findings don't necessarily indicate that multivitamins are as effective outside study conditions. For example, a large study on more than 390,000 people published in JAMA Network Open earlier this year concluded that taking a multivitamin wasn't linked to longevity. And the US Preventive Services Task Force doesn't recommend the general public take multivitamins because there's not enough evidence to show it has any benefit.

Roizen said he takes a multivitamin anyway to keep the overall levels of vitamins in his body stable.

Get your flu shot

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone age six months and above should get a flu vaccine every season.

But Roizen also takes it for the potential healthy-aging benefits. A 2022 review of studies published in Ageing Research Reviews suggested that vaccinating older people against the flu could also help prevent dementia, possibly because it decreases inflammation in the brain.

• Kayla Barnes-Lentz spends much of her day optimizing her health to try to live to 150.
• She also runs her own business, so has to fit her biohacking around her busy workday.
• She has a 2 ½ hour morning routine, takes regular biohacking breaks, and goes to bed by 8:30 p.m.

From the second Kayla Barnes-Lentz wakes up, her day is built around enhancing her health.

Barnes-Lentz, 33, told Business Insider that her extensive biohacking routine has helped her to reverse her biological age by 11 years. Biological age is a measure of how healthy a person's cells and organs are, but scientists don't agree on the definition.

As a coowner of a longevity clinic in Cleveland and the host of a podcast about health optimization, she counts this routine as part of her work.

"During work, I have my office optimized for optimal productivity, and I incorporate health optimization practices throughout the day," she said.

Barnes-Lentz's habits aren't all scientifically proven. But she and other biohackers, such as the millionaire entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, take a chance on experimental treatments to live as long as possible. Barnes-Lentz wants to reach 150, while Johnson's mantra is "don't die."

She's inspired by naturopathic medicine, which she said involves "new age tech." Barnes-Lentz and the team at her clinic use scientific literature to "guide" what she describes as her "health protocols." She said she has also hired female Ph.D. candidates to "dive into the literature" around women's health and longevity to inform her female-focused protocols, which she sells as part of a membership program.

Medical experts say that for the average person, getting the basics right can make a big difference in how long they live. A study published last year found that a healthy diet could increase lifespan by up to 10 years, and Nathan K. LeBrasseur, a physiologist at Mayo Clinic, previously told BI that spending just 3% of your day exercising can contribute to healthy aging.

Barnes-Lentz shared how she fits biohacking around running her business.

Before work, she spends 2 ½ hours biohacking

Barnes-Lentz's morning routine takes about 2 ½ hours. She starts with what she describes as an "oral protocol," which includes tongue scraping, water flossing, and oil pulling. Tongue scraping and flossing are commonly recognized as effective ways to reduce bacteria and plaque in the mouth. But there's not enough evidence that oil pulling, an Ayurvedic practice that involves swishing oil around the mouth, is beneficial enough for oral health to be recommended by the American Dental Association.

She also does her first round of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy, a noninvasive treatment in which bursts of electric currents are sent through soft tissue across the body.

"I think of our body as a battery, and PEMF can increase your charge," she said.

Some research suggests that PEMF could be useful in treating osteoarthritis and bone fractures, but more evidence is needed to draw a connection, said the authors of a 2023 review of research published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

Barnes-Lentz also works out, gets some sun exposure to regulate her circadian rhythm, spends time in a sauna, showers, and measures her biometrics (body composition, grip strength, lung health, and blood pressure) before breakfast.

She does red-light therapy while working

Barnes-Lentz works from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. most days, running her longevity business, podcast, and social media accounts, including her Instagram account, which has 383,000 followers. She tries to do 10,000 steps a day and move her body as much as possible.

To do that, she takes calls while walking and takes breaks every 90 minutes to walk or do what she considers a biohack, such as standing on a whole-body vibration plate.

Even when she does desk-based work, she said she's biohacking. This involves sitting on a "biohacking desk chair," which encourages good posture, and wearing a red-light therapy cap to help her hair grow faster and thicker. Red-light therapy has been found to help with hair regrowth and build thickness and length in some large randomized trials, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.

In her office, she has an air-filtration system and uses natural light instead of LEDs to avoid interrupting her circadian rhythm. In a 2023 report published in the journal Frontiers in Photonics, researchers found that blue light from LEDs can disrupt sleep when people are repetitively exposed to it for prolonged periods at night.

Barnes-Lentz also inhales humid air using a NanoVi machine —which is advertised as a way to repair proteins in the body damaged by oxidative stress — to improve her cognition and brain health. Research suggests that oxidative stress, which is caused by factors including sunlight, alcohol, and certain medications, plays a role in aging and the development of neurodegenerative diseases.

A small 2022 study published in the International Journal of Molecular Science suggested that the NanoVi could help improve cellular health and cognition in older people. The study involved four people with cognitive impairment who used a NanoVi over 12 weeks, so more research is needed.

A cold plunge at lunchtime

"My midday routine consists of a whole body vibration plate and cold plunge, which gives me a natural increase in energy, followed by a hyperbaric chamber session," Barnes-Lentz said.

She does five, hourlong sessions in a hyperbaric chamber each week, using the time to catch up on messages on her phone. Hyperbaric oxygen chambers contain a pure, pressurized form of the gas to increase its absorption in the body. They are used to treat conditions including burns, wounds, skin and bone infections, and hearing and vision loss. Small studies have found that they might have anti-aging benefits, too, although the FDA hasn't approved them for this use.

After work, she goes for a walk and optimizes her sleep schedule

Barnes-Lentz and her husband eat dinner at around 5 p.m., more than three hours before they go to bed at 8:30 p.m., to help them sleep.

She knows that a varied diet is good for the gut microbiome, so she has different organic, seasonal vegetables and fruits delivered each week. The structure of her meals is always the same: vegetables, high-quality proteins, healthy fats, and carbohydrates that don't spike her blood sugar too much, she said.

After dinner, the couple walks for 50 minutes in the hills around their Los Angeles home to aid digestion, catch up on their days, and get in more zone-two cardio.

"Then, we begin our wind-down routine, which may involve more PEMF or relaxing together. At sunset, we ensure that the house is only red light to promote the release of melatonin," she said.

Some studies have found that using artificial red light at night can improve sleep quality, but a 2023 study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry found no evidence that red light increases melatonin secretion and, in some cases, can increase alertness.

"I've worked really hard to build the life that I have," Barnes-Lentz said. "I'm incredibly blessed and very fortunate that I get to move my body and get to do all these things. And I'm excited to see what that's going to lead to in the future."

Correction: December 23, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misrepresented Barnes-Lentz's naturopathic approach to medicine. It involves "new age tech," not herbs and massage.

• Business Insider has spoken to many centenarians about their tips for living to 100.
• Many believe that eating well has helped them to live longer.
• Their tips include eating whole foods and having the occasional treat.

Living to 100 is relatively rare: only 0.03% of the US population are centenarians, according to an analysis by Pew Research Center.

But Pew predicts that the number of centenarians in the US will quadruple by 2054, as life expectancy increases. Genes, environmental factors, and luck play big roles in how long someone might live, but lifestyle choices matter, too.

Here's how eight centenarians who have spoken to Business Insider eat, which may have contributed to their health and longevity.

Eat fresh, whole foods

Many of the centenarians BI has reported on eat lots of fresh, whole foods — and not much meat.

102-year-old Deborah Szekely has been a pescatarian all her life, and grows a lot of her own vegetables on the ranch in Baja California, Mexico, where she still works.

Pearl Taylor, also 102, based in Dayton, Ohio, said she eats a mostly vegetarian diet, and meat on occasion. She also swears by her homemade green juice, which contains aloe root, celery, parsley, ginger, and water sweetened with Splenda.

Meanwhile, Lousie Jean Signore, the second oldest person in New York at 112 years old, follows the Mediterranean diet, which is high in whole foods such as fruit, vegetables, beans, and olive oil.

Signore eats salad, fruit, and vegetables every night, and adds tomato sauce, garlic, or olive oil to all her main meals, as BI previously reported.

The Mediterranean diet is widely considered to be the healthiest way to eat, and research has linked it to improved heart health, weight loss, and preventing cognitive decline.

Cook at home

Taylor prepares all of her meals and hasn't eaten a pre-packaged meal in "years," she said.

This is common among centenarians, many of whom grew up before fast food and microwaveable meals became widely available.

For example, 101-year-old William, from Toronto, cooks all his meals, featuring lots of sardines, which he thinks are his longevity secret.

Jack Van Nordheim, 101, known as Uncle Jack on social media, never developed a taste for fast food, instead preferring simple homemade meals such as boiled chicken.

Eating more home cooking can mean people eat fewer ultra-processed foods, which have been linked to major health problems, including depression, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

A 2017 study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity found that participants who cooked at home five times a week were more likely to follow healthy ways of eating such as the Mediterranean diet; eat more fruit and vegetables; and be a healthy weight.

Eat moderately…

Many Japanese centenarians follow the principle of "hara hachi bu," which means they eat until they are 80% full, Yumi Yamamoto, who works for LongeviQuest, an organization that verifies the ages of supercentenarians, told BI.

Yamamoto's great-grandma, Shigeyo Nakachi, was the second-oldest living person in Japan when she died in 2021. Yamamoto said that Nakachi never ate to excess and wouldn't finish a whole chocolate bar in one sitting.

Similarly, the mantra of Ireland's oldest man, 108-year-old Martin McEvilly, who cycled regularly until he was 99, is "everything in moderation."

For McEvilly, this means only drinking alcohol on Sunday evenings, when he enjoys three pints of Guinness.

… but treat yourself

Although Japanese supercentenarians tend to eat in moderation, Yamamoto said they still treat themselves.

Kane Tanaka, the second oldest person in recorded history, who lived to 119, enjoyed a bottle of Coca-Cola every day, she said.

Likewise, Szekely enjoys the occasional serving of coffee ice cream, and Uncle Jack attributes his longevity to eating dark chocolate and honey daily.

Experts agree that incorporating treats into your diet can make healthy eating more sustainable. Dietitian Nicole Ludlam-Raine promotes the 80/20 diet, where you eat healthily 80% of the time and allow yourself to eat what you like the other 20%.

• Tom Simek got fit at 59 after being diagnosed with osteoporosis and high cholesterol.
• Now 72, he's competed in "American Ninja Warrior" and won medals in the National Senior Games.
• Getting fit has improved his life in many ways, including by giving him a sense of purpose.

At age 59, Tom Simek was out of shape.

The retired building contractor based in Santa Fe had spent his working life prioritizing his family and business over his health. After he was diagnosed with osteoporosis, high cholesterol, and sleep apnea 13 years ago, he decided to make some healthy lifestyle changes, he told Business Insider.

Simek made small changes at first: he stopped working weekends, ate healthier, and started exercising daily.

"It was gradual," he said. First he started walking, then incorporated bodyweight exercises such as push-ups, crunches, dips, and jumping jacks.

"And then I found a sport that I loved to do: track and field," he said.

Now aged 72, Simek has competed on the TV competition "American Ninja Warrior" twice, is sponsored by Senior Planet, a program that encourages older adults to exercise, and works out for about an hour each day. Some days, he spends the hour doing boot camp classes at his daughter's fitness club, while others he does short sprints and weights in his home gym.

In 2012, Simek entered his first National Senior Games, a state and country-wide competition for athletes over 50. Every year since, he has competed in the long jump and the 50-meter, 100-meter, and 200-meter sprints, consistently winning medals for his state, New Mexico.

Simek shared four ways getting fit has improved his quality of life.

1) A sense of purpose

Track and field has become Simek's passion. "And if you're passionate about something, then you will look forward to your workouts in order to improve yourself. It gives me a reason to wake up in the morning," he said.

Spurred on by his 12-year-old granddaughter, he also keeps up his training for "American Ninja Warrior," which he appeared on in 2019 and 2022, in case he's chosen to compete in future seasons. He does bodyweight exercises such as pull-ups to maintain his strength, practices gymnastics, and works on his balance.

Having a sense of purpose has been linked to longevity in multiple studies. In one 2019 study by researchers at the University of Michigan, US adults aged over 50 who had a strong sense of purpose were less likely to die within four years.

2) Making new friends

Simek loves that sports help him meet lots of new people. At track and field competitions, "younger people come up to me because they see my age, and say 'you inspire us,'" he said.

And he's made friends across the country at the Senior Games. "I think it's very important, in the senior years, to stay connected with people," he said.

A 2023 study found that older people who had more social interactions were likely to live longer than those who were more isolated.

3) Better mobility

Because he's fit and mobile, Simek can do activities with his grandchildren, whether playing or competing in track and field competitions alongside his granddaughter. This is particularly important to him because he wants to show her the importance of a fit and active lifestyle as she grows up, he said.

Mobility in older age is a predictor of living longer. A 2017 study published in BMC Health Services Research on 1,005 people aged 65 and above still living at home found that the longer it took participants to leave a chair, the greater their risk of dying within the next 11.8 years.

4) Better sleep

"When you're fit, your mind works better, and you sleep better," Simek said.

In a 2021 study published in Experimental Gerontology, people over 65 who were more physically fit — meaning they were able to perform more actions such as standing from a seated position and doing bicep curls — were more likely to have a better health-related quality of life.

And research shows that being physically active is linked to better sleep quality, according to Dr. Charlene Gamaldo, the medical director of Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep.

• Dotty Burgess was married to her husband for 77 years.
• Now 103, she shared her advice for a long-lasting, healthy relationship with Business Insider.
• It includes having things to look forward to and accommodating your partner's needs.

In 1944, a 23-year-old model wrote a letter to a pilot-in-training at his mother's request. He replied right away, and a few weeks later they were engaged.

Dotty Burgess, from San Jose and now 103, was married to her husband Frank Burgess for 77 "wonderful" years before he died in 2021. She now lives at Revel Nevada, a retirement community south of Las Vegas.

Burgess told Business Insider that her biggest advice for a long-lasting relationship is to choose your partner well.

She also shared some tips for maintaining a healthy relationship once you've found that person.

Know that issues won't last forever

"We realized how important it was to stay together throughout the storms, knowing nothing lasts forever," Burgess said.

This echoes advice psychologists have previously shared with BI. John Gottman, a psychologist who has studied relationships for 42 years, said people in successful relationships don't just let things go. Instead they "repair" their relationship after conflicts with gentle communication.

April Eldemire, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Florida, said that in a healthy relationship, partners work through issues as a team.

Know the things that annoy your partner and avoid them

Burgess said she and her husband knew to avoid doing things that made the other angry.

A 2019 study published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin found that partners accommodate each other's needs more when they have a committed, securely attached relationship, feel valued by their partner, and maintain a strong sense of self.

If you do end up angry with your partner, BI previously reported on a five-second trick to help resolve conflicts in a relationship.

Always have something to look forward to

"No matter how big or small it is, always have something to look forward to that keeps the adrenaline and excitement in your life," Burgess said.

For her, that was taking a walk with her husband, or having an ice-cream cone with their granddaughter.

She and Frank also loved taking road trips together. "The most magnificent and beautiful thing I have ever seen was the rainforest in the state of Washington" on one of these road trips, she said.

Feeling excited to build a life together and enjoying spending time with your partner are signs of happiness in a relationship, Suzanne Degges-White, a licensed counselor and professor at Northern Illinois University, previously told BI.

• An epidemiologist and nutrition expert eats at least three fermented foods each day for gut health.
• Tim Spector shared his tips on how to incorporate fermented foods into your diet.
• These include starting small, checking food labels, and "backslopping."

You may have noticed a proliferation of kefir and kombucha in stores lately. Fermented foods are everywhere, but can be a little intimidating to people who aren't used to them.

Tim Spector, a British epidemiologist and cofounder of the nutrition company Zoe, eats at least three different types of fermented foods every day to aid his gut health.

Research on fermented foods is still developing, but, according to a 2022 review in the journal Nutrients, studies suggest that they can reduce risks of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, and increase the diversity of bacteria in the gut. The gut thrives on a varied diet, so this diversity is important for digestive and overall health.

Spector told Business Insider how he incorporates fermented foods into his diet.

Start small

"Little and often" is the best way to start adding fermented foods to your diet, Spector wrote in his cookbook "Food For Life," which is due to be published in the US in 2025.

This allows you to get used to the taste and your gut to get used to all the new bacteria.

Spector recommends adding a tablespoon of different fermented foods to your cooking — for example, kimchi in a stew for "flavor and crunch," or kefir to a soup for "creaminess and tang."

This chimes with what other experts told BI: Tanzil Miah, a dietitian specializing in gut health, said adding kimchi or sauerkraut to sandwiches or salads, and using yogurt as a sauce or marinade are easy ways to add fermented foods to what you're already eating.

Check out labels of shop-bought fermented foods

"My advice to the fermenting newcomer is to find some commercial fermented products you enjoy and slowly work up to fermenting your own," Spector wrote in "Food For Life."

When buying shop-bought fermented foods, such as kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, or kimchi, he recommends looking for products that are:

• Low in added sugar.
• Have few/no chemical additives.
• Not pickled in vinegar, which kills live microbes.

Then make your own

When you're ready, Spector said you can expand the scope of fermented foods away from just pickles and kefir. He now makes his own homemade labneh and a fermented mushroom-and-garlic spread, for example.

Making fermented foods at home is also great for the environment and your wallet because it reduces food waste, he said.

And it's easy. "You can ferment just about any plant," he said, using only salt or honey.

BI previously reported a Michelin-star chef's techniques for making homemade kimchi, sauerkraut, and pickles.

Or, Spector said, you can make your own kefir from the dregs of a store-bought bottle with a technique called "backslopping." To backslop kefir, add a tablespoon of good-quality kefir to a bottle of full-fat milk, leave it at room temperature until it thickens, and then store in the fridge.

• Caspar Lee is an ex-YouTuber turned entrepreneur and venture capital fund owner.
• He shared his tactics for staying fit while running his own businesses and traveling often.
• These include using AI tools, walking as much as possible, and combining exercise with socializing.

Caspar Lee may no longer be a YouTuber, but he's still involved in the influencer world behind the scenes.

Lee, 30, is based in London and co-founded three companies: the marketing agency Influencer, the talent management company MVE, and the venture capital fund Creator Ventures.

With so many projects on the go, his schedule looks very different from week to week, and it can be hard to maintain a consistent fitness routine.

"I don't need to be able to run for over two hours, but I don't want to struggle if I go for a run," he told Business Insider as part of his campaign to promote Google's AI, Gemini Live. "I also do it for the mental health benefits, to be able to enjoy life, and I want to have some sort of muscle because it will be great as I get older."

Lee shared how he keeps fit to achieve these goals while running his own businesses.

Different types of exercise

Lee builds a few different types of exercise into his schedule. When he's traveling, he goes to the gym or goes on runs because it helps him manage jetlag and anxiety.

"If I'm struggling to stay awake, I'll go to the gym. Or if the next morning I'm struggling to wake up, I'll go for a run," he said. "I get a little bit anxious when I travel, and the endorphins help."

When he's not traveling, he likes to exercise at home after he gets back from work. He particularly enjoys the 20-minute workout videos by Joe Wicks on YouTube.

While he's at work, he tries to offset long periods of sitting down by doing stretches and building walking into his day.

"If I need to grab some food, I'll walk to fetch it. And instead of jumping on the Tube to get to a meeting 20 minutes away, I'll try to walk. I even try to take calls while walking. I just think walking is one of the best forms of exercise you can do and it's really underrated, so I do as much of it as I can," he said.

Making exercise social

"I'm not just someone who hangs out at the pub drinking pints. I'd rather be doing something fun," Lee said. "I love exercising with my friends."

His favorite workouts to do with friends are runs and playing golf

"I love to play golf. It's a nice 4-hour walk," he said. "And it's such a great way to make new friends and to spend time quality time with existing friends. Most weekends when I'm in England, I'll try to play golf one of the days."

He structures his workouts around playing golf, too, doing strength training early in the week and cardio later in the week so that his muscles aren't stiff for weekend golf rounds.

Lee also works out with his fiancée, the influencer Ambar Driscoll, "quite a lot," doing bodyweight exercises and walking.

AI-driven workouts

Because of all the traveling Lee does, he struggles to keep to a strict workout schedule or work with a personal trainer consistently. He said the Gemini AI structures and plans his workouts for the week.

He spends 45 minutes in the gym, doing three sets of six exercises for a particular muscle group, which he lets the AI decide.

"Yesterday I was using Gemini Live to help me because I wanted to do a fun push-up routine. It just came up with a bunch of things I could do," he said. "I probably don't put exercises together correctly, which is why I then ask Gemini 'What am I doing wrong?' and it helps."

Simple diet rules

"Generally my rules are: eat as little sugar as possible, drink as much water as possible, and get in protein," he said. "But I do love a dessert, so when I want to have sugar — like a tiramisu — I'll have it."

He makes a lot of chopped salads, he said, including tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, mangoes, dates, and walnuts.

"I'll ask Gemini Live for help with food as well. I'll say 'Look, I just came back from traveling. I'm tired. I'm jetlagged. Can you help me come up with something that's going to help with that?' And it has the most incredible recipes," he said.

• The world's oldest man, John Tinniswood, has died aged 112.
• Tinniswood had three pieces of life advice for younger people.
• They were: have a broad outlook, do everything in moderation, and always try your best.

In the UK in 1912, the Suffragettes were vandalizing post boxes to win women the right to vote and the Titanic was registered in the port city of Liverpool before its maiden, and only, voyage. Also registered in Liverpool that year was the birth of John Tinniswood.

Tinniswood, who was born on August 26, 1912, died on Monday at the age of 112, at his care home in Southport, UK.

Guinness World Records declared him the world's oldest man earlier this year, after the previous titleholder, Juan Vicente Pérez, from Venezuela, died at the age of 114 and 311 days.

The title could now fall to João Marinho Neto, a 112-year-old Brazilian, but his age hasn't yet been validated by Guinness World Records.

Tinniswood was also the world's oldest surviving male World War II veteran. He served in an admin role for the British Army Pay Corps, which involved logistical work including organizing food supplies and locating stranded soldiers. He then worked in admin and accountancy for the Royal Mail, the UK's postal service, as well as Shell and BP before he retired in 1972.

Tinniswood was married to his wife, Blodwen Tinniswood, for 44 years before she died in 1986. The couple had one child, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

The staff at his residential home described Tinniswood as a "big chatterbox," per Guinness World Records. At 111 years old, he was mobile and independent, managing his own finances and getting out of bed unassisted.

When he earned the title of oldest living man, Tinniswood was unphazed, telling Guinness World Records it "doesn't make any difference to me at all. I accept it for what it is."

Tinniswood had 3 pieces of life advice for younger people

Tinniswood's biggest piece of advice for people wanting to live as long as him was to do everything in moderation.

"If you drink too much, or you eat too much, or you walk too much, if you do too much of anything, you're going to suffer eventually," he said. "Never over-tax your system" if you want a healthy life, he told BBC News.

He didn't follow a specific diet, telling Guinness World Records, "I eat what they give me, and so does everybody else" — apart from fish and chips, a British classic, for dinner every Friday.

He didn't smoke and rarely drank alcohol, two habits that are great for longevity.

In 2022, he told BBC News that it's also important to "broaden your vision."

"Don't stay with one thing all the time or you'll be on a narrow path," he said.

But no matter what you're doing, "always do the best you can, whether you're learning something or whether you're teaching someone," he told Guinness World Records. "Give it all you've got. Otherwise, it's not worth bothering with."

This echoes research linking longevity to a positive mindset and a sense of purpose.

Ultimately, though, Tinniswood thought he mostly reached his old age out of "pure luck."

"You either live long or you live short, and you can't do much about it," he said.

Business Insider previously reported on Naomi Whitehead — the oldest person in the US — and her longevity tips.

• Sally Froelich has aged remarkably well. She still golfs three times a week at 95.
• Froelich gave Business Insider some of her tips for staying healthy and happy.
• They include being sociable and doing exercise every day.

Sally Froelich has been talking about aging for a long time. Which makes sense — she's 95.

She credits that focus as part of the reason she has aged so well: she used to host a TV show where people spoke about reaching age milestones.

Froelich, a New Yorker, spoke to Business Insider to share the lifestyle habits she thinks have helped her reach 95.

Be sociable

"The most important part is sociability. Friends are so very important. You need someone that you can confide in, there's always somebody out there that'll listen to you," Froelich said. "And, if things go wrong, you got to make it right. Do unto others as you want them to do unto you."

Professor Rose Anne Kenny, a gerontologist at Trinity College Dublin, thinks that having good friendships is just as important as eating healthily and exercising for longevity.

In a 2023 study of over 450,000 adults in the UK, researchers found that being socially isolated was linked to a 77% higher risk of death in adults aged 37 to 73 over a 12-year follow-up period.

Froelich herself is part of a study — the SuperAger study of people over 95 from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, which looks for inherited factors that could help slow aging.

Do some exercise every day

Froelich started playing golf when she was 24 and now plays three times a week.

On days she's not playing golf, she's still active.

"I do 10 sit-ups. I do stretches. I lift eight pounds on each hand, and then bend over and lift five pounds on each leg, 20 times each. I walk in place very quickly," she said. "And I ride my bike, not as often as I should. But I do something almost every single day."

Experts agree that exercising regularly is one of the best things you can do for healthy aging, especially strength training.

Nathan K. LeBrasseur, director of the Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging at Mayo Clinic, previously told BI that spending 3% of your day exercising, or 30 minutes, can have a "profound impact" on overall health.

Keep busy

"Not everybody can be very athletic, but hopefully, most people can do something to keep busy," Froelich said. "Help people out, do charity work."

She plays canasta and bridge, talks with friends on the phone, and volunteers. After she had cancer, she worked with the American Cancer Society for 38 years to run a Hope Lodge in New York City, where people stay while getting treatment.

She was until recently a board member for a Jewish home for older people, where she redecorated residents' rooms and threw parties for those turning 100.

A 2016 study published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience found that busy lifestyles were associated with better cognition in 330 participants aged 50 to 89.

• D'yan Forest is a working comedian at 90, doing gigs in two languages.
• She shared some of her tips for staying fit and funny into her 90s.
• These include having a positive outlook and spending time with younger friends.

It's never too late for a career change — even if you're almost 70.

After a 40-year-long career as a cabaret singer, D'yan Forest, who lives in New York City, became a comedian in 2001. Now 90, she holds the Guinness World Record for Oldest Female Comedian and still performs solo shows in English and French.

"I never thought I'd be a comedian at 90," she told Business Insider. "I make fun of myself and older ladies, and I sing parodies. I'm a little risqué, and the people love it because they can't believe that an older woman still has verve and fun and can say such risqué things."

Forest shared her longevity secrets for maintaining that verve into her 90s.

Keep your mind active

"Being funny keeps my mind working. I change my material every six months, so I'm always learning new things as the culture changes in France or America. What is amazing is that I'm getting better and better every time I perform," she said.

Doing comedy has also helped her look at life with a "fun slant," she said. "It's a mental outlook that keeps me going.

This chimes with what experts have previously told BI: Heidi Tissenbaum, a cancer biology professor who researches healthy lifespans, said that keeping the mind busy is one of the basics of longevity. The authors of a 2023 study on common traits of healthy centenarians recommended staying intellectually active and focusing on the good in life.

Exercise

Forest goes swimming every other day and plays golf three times a week.

"I go out for long weekends, and boy, after the third day, I'm exhausted," she said. "But that keeps me physically active. Not many women my age can walk the golf course like that."

A 2019 study by researchers at the National Cancer Institute found that adults who exercised consistently into later life had up to a 36% lower risk of dying from any cause over the 20-year follow-up period. The study also found that even starting to exercise in later life is beneficial for longevity.

Eat fresh whole foods

"I just eat pure food, raw vegetables and fruits. I don't like it when food is all artificial. My mother always said during the war, "Eat the fresh fish. Eat the fresh fruit." She wouldn't even cook 'em, just ate them," Forest said.

A 2023 study published in the journal Nutrients on 2,454 participants from China found that eating more fruit and vegetables lowered the risks of cognitive impairment in older age. A 2020 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that US women over 60 who ate more fruit and vegetables were less likely to experience fatigue, poor strength, and illnesses.

Have (lots of) younger friends

Forest goes out for dinner with a different friend every day of the week.

Having a strong community is important for longevity. It may be more important than a healthy diet and regular exercise, said Professor Rose Anne Kenny, chair of medical gerontology at Trinity College Dublin.

"The problem is, when you're 90, that a lot of your friends and family die," Forest said. "And that's why the comedy is good because through that I've met a lot of younger friends who have the same interests that I do."

She's not alone — 102-year-old Janet Gibbs also credits her longevity to having younger friends as well.

• Herlda Senhouse, formerly the second oldest person in the US, died this week at the age of 113.
• She thought lifestyle factors could have contributed to her longevity as well as her genes.
• They included not having kids, eating healthily, and being part of a community.

Herlda Senhouse, born in 1911, appreciated three things about 2024: electric light, indoor plumbing, and having a Black female vice president.

Senhouse, who died at age 113 on Saturday, lived in Wellesley, Massachusetts. She worked as a housekeeper and nanny for white families, and faced racism including being denied the opportunity to study nursing, she told The Telegraph in 2021. Senhouse founded the Boston Clique Club, a group of dancers and musicians who raised money to help educate Black students in Boston.

"I never thought I'd see a Black woman vice president, which is amazing, and I'm so happy," she said.

Senhouse wanted to keep helping others even after she died: she donated her brain to researchers at Boston University, who are studying whether genes help some people live past 100 for the New England Centenarian Study.

As well as her genes, Senhouse attributed her longevity to a few lifestyle factors.

Don't have children to avoid stress

Senhouse often said that the secret to her longevity was not having children, Stephanie Hawkinson, a public information officer for the town of Wellesley told US News and World Report on Monday.

One 2017 study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health found that people without children didn't live as long as parents, possibly because of the support they received. But Senhouse thought that not having children helped her avoid stress, which research suggests can accelerate aging.

Eat healthily and don't smoke

"I don't smoke or drink. And I don't drink those fizzy waters… no soda. I seldom eat fast food," Senhouse told WBZ News in 2022.

People who followed healthy eating guidelines, including consuming lots of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes, had a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory disease in a 2023 study. The research involved 119,000 female nurses and male health professionals and was published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. These people were also less likely to smoke and more likely to exercise.

Be part of a community

Hawkinson said that Senhouse had a big community of friends, family, and fellow church members.

She also spent lots of time with her best friend, Margaret Robinson, whom she met over 60 years ago. They called each other every day and got their hair and nails done together every two weeks, WBZ News reported.

Researchers carrying out the Harvard Study of Adult Development have found that healthy relationships can lower the risk of dying at any age and help to reduce pain in older age, BI's Hilary Brueck previously reported.

Know when to let go

Do your best to fix issues in your life, but if you can't, let it go, Senhouse told The Telegraph.

Perseverance and focusing on the good things in life are common traits among centenarians, Business Insider previously reported. And longevity researchers who have spoken to over 1,000 centenarians told BI that many centenarians try not to stress about things out of their control.