Morano was born in 19th-century Italy. Image Credit: Public Domain
The oldest human being on Earth, Emma Morano, is the last person alive to have seen the 19th century.
Born on November 29, 1899, the Italian, who has now reached the grand old age of 117, is officially the oldest human being alive anywhere in the world and the only remaining person to have been born during the 1800s.
The eldest of eight children, Morano has remained independent for almost her entire life.
She left her violent husband in 1938 following the death of her only son and lived on her own, supporting herself through jobs which included working in a factory producing jute sacks.
Despite her advancing years she is still sound of mind ( though very hard of hearing ) and has not left her apartment in Verbania, a town on Lake Maggiore in northern Italy, for 20 years.
"I eat two eggs a day, and that's it - and cookies - but I do not eat much because I have no teeth," she says. "People come. I don't invite anybody but they come. From America, Switzerland, Austria, Turin, Milan... They come from all over to see me."
When asked before the big day if she'd be eating any birthday cake however she wasn't too keen.
"The last time I ate a little, but then I did not feel good," she said.
Thats an awful lot of eggs over the years. Good for her. Looks like the health experts may have to go back to the drawing board and have a look at this loads of eggs and little fruit and veg thing: Emma has always eaten very few vegetables, very little fruit. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38134004 I am so glad I am not a chicken, and can see the eggs sales going through the roof!
There are too many factors involved to truly figure out how to increase longevity. It's most likely different for everyone. Could even be determined before you were born.
I began eating raw eggs when I was into bodybuilding several decades ago. I stopped after hearing about biotin deficiency caused by avidin in uncooked eggs. It turned out the dangers weren't as dangerous as I was led to believe. I would really like to learn the results of a complete blood workup for Ms. Morano. A lifetime of eating raw eggs might have some previously unknown beneficial effects. Here's a good article about raw eggs, including a paragraph about avidin: "...eating raw eggs carries the eventual risk of a biotin deficiency. Although egg yolk is actually a rich source of biotin... [More]
I lost my Grandmother this summer at 103 (well, 102 and 51 weeks, we granted her the extra week). She was sharp as a tack until the end though she struggled with short term memory occasionally. The only thing that declined over that past few years was her energy level but she still got up and made her own bed each morning and dressed herself. She never gave credit to any special kind of living except she generally watched what she ate and tried to stay active. She did credit modern medicine though. They fixed her heart at 90 years old and we got to spend nearly 13 more years with her. Congrat... [More]
Please Login or Register to post a comment.