World's Oldest Man Turns 112

[this_dude_55]

World's oldest man turns 112

TOKYO (AFP) - The world's oldest man celebrated his 112th birthday Tuesday with a healthy Japanese breakfast of rice, miso soup and seaweed, saying he wanted to live forever.

Tomoji Tanabe, who has been the world's oldest man since January this year, lives with his son and family in Japan's southern prefecture of Miyazaki. He keeps a diary and reads the newspaper every day.

"I want to live indefinitely. I don't want to die," he said as he marked his birthday, Kyodo News reported.

Tanabe, a teetotaller who has repeatedly said that avoiding alcohol is a secret of his longevity, was given a certificate from the Guinness Book of World Records by the mayor of his local municipality in June.

Japan has the largest population of centenarians in the world. The number of Japanese aged at least 100 years old is expected to top 30,000 by the end of September, the health ministry said in a recent report.

The Japanese people's renowned longevity is often attributed to eating the country's traditional healthy food, despite the hectic lifestyle many lead in the big cities.

But the longevity is also presenting a headache as the country has one of the lowest birthrates, raising fears of a future demographic crisis as a smaller pool of workers supports a mass of elderly.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070918/lf_afp/lifestylejapansenior

 

[this_dude_55]

Reason I through this up in Health & Fitness is b/c I've heard before that Japanese dietary is suppose to be good for you. But does anyone really want to live to be that old? No offense, but by that point everyone you've known is dead, how much can you really comphrend, and what can you do at that age?

 

[speakeasy]

I believe in the philosophy of not worrying about getting more years for your life, but focus on getting more life into your years. At the same time, no reason to poison your body with crap foods if you can choose healthier. So if you can live longer, so be it, but I don't think the purpose of life is to live a long time just for the sake of doing so. Wow, 112, I'd love to sit down and talk to this guy. Must have hella stories to tell.

 

[HandyAndy]

they always seem to be asian?

 

[Quagmire911]

It's funny Westerner's always put the rice in there, when it's all the sushi/fish they eat that makes the difference.

 

[mrRuckus]

Yeah man i'm 27 and might as well kill myself because i can't drink myself into a stupor 5 days a week in a row anymore and still feel good.

I'm sure a healthy 100+ guy can still find plenty to entertain himself. Sh1t, half the stuff i do age doesn't matter. I can't wait to see what computer games there are in 70 years.

Not that it'll matter since i presume that in 70 years we'll be living in caves after some sort of holocaust.