World's oldest person dies at 114
Guinness World Records has reported the death of the world's oldest person aged 114 years and 357 days, a week shy of her 115th birthday.
Kama Chinen, a resident of a sub-tropical island in Okinawa, Japan, died on May 2, 2010. She lived to see three different centuries, the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) commented.
'Though confined to a wheelchair in her later years, Chinen enjoyed the wonders of nature and being outside,' the organization said.
Okinawa has a reputation for its long-lived residents, put down to the local diet of green tea, miso soup, vegetables, rice and fresh fish.
The title of oldest human now passes to 114-year-old Frenchwoman Eugenie Blanchard, who was born in February 1896. She lives on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, GRG said.
Chiyono Hasegawa, 113, in southern Japan's Saga prefecture is now the country's oldest person.
Japan has the world's highest life expectancy, and Okinawa has been home to many centenarians, a fact variously attributed to the healthy diet and environment of the island.
According to the study, old Okinawans also have lower rates of cancer, in part due to a generally low caloric, low-fat and high-fiber diet that is rich in vegetables and fruits, as well as to their physical activity.
Average life expectancy in Japan climbed sharply after World War II. In 2008, life expectancy at birth was 86.05 years for women and 79.29 years for men, according to official statistics.
Source: presstv.ir
