In recent decades, there has been an increase in life expectancy on Earth. In this regard, more and more people are asking themselves the question: how can one live to be a hundred years old or more? One answer to this question is the phenomenon of Caucasian longevity. However, how real are these stories?
Caucasian Longevity: Legend or Reality?
Valery Novoselov, a geriatrician, neurologist, chairman of the gerontology section of the Moscow Lomonosov Moscow State University, claims that the phenomenon of Caucasian longevity is just a legend, which appeared due to the mass confusion with the age of the USSR population in the 20th century. There were three main centers of longevity in the USSR: Abkhazian, Azerbaijani and Yakutian. People there lived for more than 120 years. For example, Mejid Agayev lived 143 years (1835-1978), Mahmud Eyvazov – 151 year (1808-1959), Serali Muslimov – 168 years (1805-1973). However, according to Novoselov, all these people were born at a time of insufficiently accurate birth registration and lack of regular military conscription in the region. Therefore, there were no documents which could be used to establish the exact age of the inhabitants.
Long-livers or an example of “successful” aging?
It is important to note that in fact these people are not long-livers, but an example of “successful” aging. They were somewhere around 90 years old. Back then, people were inflating their own age. What was that about? Most likely, it had to do with tradition: the older, the more respect. Besides, during the war years in order to go to the front, many guys overstated their age. After the war, women lowered their age in order to get married.
The sex of Caucasian long-livers
The gender of the Caucasian long-livers is also important. The fact that all of them were men only adds to the unreliability of the fact of the existence of a hotbed of Caucasian longevity. Among Caucasian long-livers there were very many men, and the super long-livers over 120 years old were all exclusively men. We know that not only longevity and championship in this kind of “sport” is always for women, but they always live longer than men.
Bottom line
So, the phenomenon of Caucasian longevity is more of a legend than reality. But this does not mean that there are no long-livers. Today there are people in the world who live to be a hundred years old and more. However, in order to live to that age, one must take care of his health, eat right, lead an active lifestyle and avoid stress.
