Britain's oldest woman

Although there are exceptions, it would seem that smoking has an affect on longevity. Apart from the lung and heart diseases, it can affect the healing process after any surgery. x

What long-life people eat:
There's research going on called the Million Women Study, in which I'm included . I get a questionnaire, online most of which is about diet - what I ate and drank the previous day. Twice a year.
It's mainly to do with HRT research, and cancer, but will give details of effect of diet on health.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Million_Women_Study

My maternal, beloved granddad lived to 97. He smoked heavily from the age of 13 until he was 94, survived a very nasty motorbike accident and a perforated ulcer, and after my granny died at the age of 62, seemed to exist almost exclusively on a diet of bread and cheese and Ovaltine. He was never overweight though and until around the age of 87 cycled everywhere.

It is incredible to think of all the historical events that lady has lived through. It seems like she had a good life. Mustn't it feel really amazing to have a 91 year old daughter!

That story about Pope Francis probably explains a great deal about his attitudes towards social justice and the need for the RC church to adapt. He has obviously not been living in ivory towers all his life.

Riverwalk! That is so funny! (And astonishing!)

Soutra that sounds very like my father's diet. He would not eat any raw fruit and probably only apples in a pie. He didn't like many vegeatables either and they had to boiled to death. He was not very keen on fish.

He had been teetotal anyway but he was generally fit well and active until three months before he died of duodenal cancer, he would have been 87 later that year.
His mother was 95 when she died and she had smoked heavily until she was in her eighties.

Having the right genes has to make a big difference.

Always exceptions to any rule!

My father died at 88 , he hated all vegetables except peas, didn't eat fruit, rarely ate fish (certainly not oily fish) smoked a pipe until in his late 70's and enjoyed a dram. Has to have been the genes in his case, or just sheer stubbornness.

All interesting posts.

My FIL got to 103yrs but he watched what he ate and weighed himself regularly.

It is obviously down to genes but you are what you eat! I don't know anyone get to be very elderly if they don't eat healthily.
Generally they have a very mixed diet- but having said that my MIL is 92 yrs on a very narrow diet- i.e narrow but healthy.

My mum died last year aged 98. She never ate meat but loved fish and vegetables. She walked everywhere until she started suffering with arthritis in her knees in her late 60's. Other than that I can't think of a reason for living old age apart from good genes and a very positive outlook.

Seems a tad nosey to me- you are not just what you eat. Genes come into it too.

I love that too Leticia!
My best friend's mum died in her early 50's. And for some reason, other friends' mums have died early too.
It has made me very thankful that my mum is still very much alive and healthy for her age.

Do you think or know if the over 90s that you know ate a mixed diet? Or quite a narrow one?

Everyone that I know who lived to over 90yrs ate and drank anything- in moderation.
I loved the fact you could be 91yrs and have a living mother!

jings if you read this thread - I checked the pope on Wiki and it would seem that his mother is not still alive, well it doesn't actually say she's dead, but I'm sure we would know if he had a living mother.

What it did say - he's a former nighclub bouncer !!

Explains the punch in the face thing

I am always left wanting to know what long living people eat. Especially what they ate regularly.
And how much exercise they did.
And what they drank.

I am surprised that there have not been books about it. Researched books.

What an achievement I wonder what her secret was ..

Hope we all make it that far! x

She looked lovely as well I don't know how old that photo was but she looked very smart. That picture was one for Embrace Age.

Her wrinkles are a proud part of who she was.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-30845570

What a lady. It sounds as though she maintained a good quality of life till the end.

Lovely. Glad that she had good health to enjoy it.

Fabulous! I heard this on the radio yesterday and they said she still enjoyed dancing until a few years ago. Her daughter is going to really miss her.

Bless the woman! It's clearly a family with the right genes. That sounds like a life to be celebrated.