25 days ago
- Jiroemon Kimura, the world's oldest man who died at 116 in 2013, had questionable age records with inconsistencies in his life history.
- Saul Justin Newman's book 'Morbid' argues that extreme longevity claims are often due to bad record-keeping, not healthy lifestyles.
- Supercentenarians with unhealthy habits like smoking or drinking may not actually be as old as claimed, undermining longevity studies.
- Small errors in age reporting can compound over time, skewing demographic data and affecting public policy decisions.
- Examples of fraud include Japan's missing centenarians and Greece's pension fraud, highlighting systemic issues in age verification.
- Blue zones, like Okinawa and Sardinia, may have inflated longevity due to destroyed records and benefits tied to age.
- Longevity is more influenced by societal factors like income, education, and environment than individual lifestyle choices.
- Ezekiel J. Emanuel's book emphasizes that common-sense health habits and meaningful life pursuits are more important than chasing extreme longevity.