13 replies to this topic

[e Volution]

World's Oldest Person Found Thriving in the Amazon

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What makes Pereira's longevity all the more fascinating are the humble conditions in which she lives. The centenarian, who will turn 121 years old on Saturday, lives in a remote corner of the Amazon, in the Brazilian state of Acre, where she practices a traditional way of life that stretches back for centuries, free of many modern amenities many people half her age often think they cannot live without.

Pereira credits her long-life to an active, healthy lifestyle, in addition to a diet rich in locally grown meats, fruits, and vegetables gathered in the forests around her home -- free of the extra salt, sugar, and preservatives so commonly found in foods around the world. Her all-natural diet, along with frequent walks around town, has allowed Pereira to thrive while others, many years her junior, do not.

With so many fads and gimmicks aimed at promoting a 'healthy' alternative, Pereira's example seems to suggest that looking to past dietary habits may be the best way to ensure a thriving life stretching far into the future.

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edit: New forum upgrade now truncates quotes?

Edited by e Volution, 01 September 2011 - 09:43 AM.

[Ron]

Besse Cooper, the oldest woman in America, enjoys fried chicken. Sarah Knauss (lived to 119) liked potato chips. Jeanne Calment (122) smoked most of her life. Just saying. :-)

[scottknl]

In the family picture, her children don't appear to be represented. So what happened to them? They should be about 90-100 years old, but none of the people in the picture appear to be that age and there's no mention of them in the article. I find the claim of 121 with ability to walk around like no aging has happened is hard to believe. Compare to Jean Calment who spent her last few years in a wheel chair or Walter Breuning who needed a motorized scooter to go more than a few blocks and both were nearly blind. Or even the Okinawin elders who toddle around, but don't walk to neighboring villages at 115+ years of age. This is likely just another clerical error at the birth certificate registry where she has her mother's birth certificate or similar error. The trouble with verifying ages in such cultures is that their lives don't leave a paper trail to follow like in western countries or asia, so it will likely never be verified. The best cases show census records, military service, job records, pension slips etc throughout life. Paleo diet without calorie restriction has never been shown to enhance longevity. If she's been eating a varied diet poor in calories since childhood, then it could be true, but I remain highly doubtful.

[e Volution]

Besse Cooper, the oldest woman in America, enjoys fried chicken. Sarah Knauss (lived to 119) liked potato chips. Jeanne Calment (122) smoked most of her life. Just saying. :-)

Smoked for 100 years sounds even better than most of her life I agree whole heartedly, but anecdote is powerful. We love a good story, and at the end of the day I feel better off having learnt about this one also.

I look at these things as nothing more than mere probability in a world of 7 billion people. Pure chance dictates some individuals will be more robust to the myriad of different factors that contribute to the ongoing ageing process, with 1 in a billion or so hitting the genetic and environmental jackpot and mostly resisting them all until maximum lifespan is reached, at which point there is no [current] remedy available.

[neue regel]

The treehugger reference and the whole story is bollocks. no wiki, nothing. Just another news' hoax

[ImmortalSpace]

Reviving an old thread but.. A lot of people confuse living a long time and being healthy. So what if those other people lived at that age eating unhealthy food? The fact that she can still walk and looks better, mind you no grey hair shows that a low carb diet or what were used to has anti aging effects.. and the evidence with round worms shows this.

 

The bottom line is, she is way healthier and still older.

[Duchykins]

Let's assume this story is true.  

 

So this woman has a diet that is native to her region.  It is a diet with a long tradition in the region.  It is a culturally traditional diet. 

 

This means a lot of people in her immediate geologic area have the same or comparable diet.  And why shouldn't they since they live deep in the jungle?  Do we really expect that most of her people live in a land that is awash with potato chips, twinkies and energy drinks?

 

So why is she the only one living this long?  Why is she unique enough to document in this fashion?  Why don't we instead hear stories about whole groups of people in her area living to 90s or 100s and still fairly ambulatory?

 

Probably because her diet is not the prime factor in her longevity here.

 

This is all just another case of confirmation bias, and of the powerful need to use logic and have a more scientific mindset.

[Duchykins]

Finally, a diet that has plenty of vegetables and fruits balanced with meat is most certainly not a low carb diet. And she lives in the Amazon. There is no way she has a low carb diet if it's traditional.

Edited by Duchykins, 02 August 2015 - 06:02 AM.

[ImmortalSpace]

Let's assume this story is true.  

 

So this woman has a diet that is native to her region.  It is a diet with a long tradition in the region.  It is a culturally traditional diet. 

 

This means a lot of people in her immediate geologic area have the same or comparable diet.  And why shouldn't they since they live deep in the jungle?  Do we really expect that most of her people live in a land that is awash with potato chips, twinkies and energy drinks?

 

So why is she the only one living this long?  Why is she unique enough to document in this fashion?  Why don't we instead hear stories about whole groups of people in her area living to 90s or 100s and still fairly ambulatory?

 

Probably because her diet is not the prime factor in her longevity here.

 

This is all just another case of confirmation bias, and of the powerful need to use logic and have a more scientific mindset.

 

Simply because a lot of them go unreported. Even if she was only 90- compare the way she looks to the way a person on a SAD looks at 90. If you are honest with yourself the answer is simple, low crab high fat diets are health promoting. High crab and processed foods with gluten and pasta are not. Gluten is terrible and I won't bother bringing up evidence now. Just google high crab diets age you.

[Duchykins]

 

 

 

Simply because a lot of them go unreported. Even if she was only 90- compare the way she looks to the way a person on a SAD looks at 90. If you are honest with yourself the answer is simple, low crab high fat diets are health promoting. High crab and processed foods with gluten and pasta are not. Gluten is terrible and I won't bother bringing up evidence now. Just google high crab diets age you.

 

 

Disagreement with your ideology does not necessarily imply I am dishonest or ignorant.  Actually these kinds of appeals to emotion are red flags for bullshit and a poorly supported position.

 

You are making a dichotomy of two extreme diets, which is false.  There is at least one other option, one of which would be a balanced diet with a lot of variety and little, if any, junk food.  Bad logic is bad.

 

Lastly, that woman does not have a low carb diet, period.  She lives in the jungle and significant portions of her traditional diet will be chock full of complex carbs, starch, cellulose in addition to the proteins.

 

You are using "low carb" where "carb" means "simple carbs" and " sugar" and "junk food."   

 

Cellulose provides substrate for bacteria in the intestines.  It's prebiotic.  A truly low-carb diet would have a relative scarcity of cellulose and would have a negative impact on gut flora population.  It is comparable to -- no, it actually is -- habitat loss. 

 

Studies showing people on "high carb" diets, when they really mean lots of junk food and simple carbs, are fairly useless when trying use them to demonize one great monolithic carbohydrate as if no others exist.  So are the "low carb" studies where the diets are not actually "low carb" (they are just low junk food, low processed food) because they have plenty of plant materials, which are chock full of carbs (surprise!).

 

Pasta is not the devil.  If it was as bad as you think it is, then we would see a pattern across all the cultures where pasta is a traditional diet staple.  But we don't see that in places like Italy.

 

Starches are not the devil.  The amount of traditional diets where starches are a staple (like a common root or grain native to the region) are insanely common and would reflect the same pattern of inferior health or longevity.

Edited by Duchykins, 02 August 2015 - 07:14 PM.

[iseethelight]

These stories are irrelevant. Some health nuts die early while some health abusers die old. At the end of the day, it's not about how long you live but how well you feel while you're alive. It's pretty hard to die from most diseases so a lot of folks live well into their 90s with subpar health. Eating healthy is mostly about getting the most out of your years and feeling your best both physically and mentally, not to live long while being depressed and underachieving. Life is meaningless like that.

[shadowhawk]

Hard evidence?

[PWAIN]

Anyone know the average weight of super centanarians? Seems that that has more impact. Don't ever recall seeing an overweight one.

[Burks]

I took care of a 104 year old woman one time. She had fallen at home. When I wouldn't let her take her neck collar off she slapped me! Being new to patient care (I was a nurse assistant), I was shocked. When she chilled out I asked her what her secret to a long life was. This was six years ago and I remember it like it was yesterday:

 

"Honey if you live your life and hate it, you'll die young. Do whatever the hell you want. I smoke every day, drink a big beer every day, and finish off a bottle of Jack every two weeks. I also eat whatever I feel like."

 

We sent her home the next day.

 

I will say the Paleo diet did assist me in losing 40-50lbs in a six month time frame combined with exercise. My buddy lost a similar amount. We were "fat fit". Ever see the strongmen competitions? That was us. Lift a ton of weight, lots of muscle, but a lot of fat too.