Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Oldest family: Sardinian family sets world record
PERDASDEFOGU, Italy -- The Melis family from Olgiastra in southeastern Sardegna, with a combined age of 818 years and 205 days, (as of June 1), featuring siblings ranging in age from 78 to 105, sets the new world record for the Oldest family,
according to the World Record Academy: www.worldrecordacademy.com/.
Photo: Consolata Melis poses with her nine children, 24 grand-children and 25 great-grandchildren, outside her house in Perdasdefogu village on the island of Sardinia. The Melis family are officially the world's oldest with nine brothers and sisters clocking up a total of 818 years between them. Photo: EPA (enlarge photo)
The Guinness world record for the oldest yoga teacher was set by Bernice Mary Bates (USA, b. 30 June 1920) who remains an active yoga teacher at the age of 91 years.
Guinness World Records also recognized the Oldest graduate: Allan Stewart (Australia, b. 7 March 1915) who received a Bachelor of Laws degree aged 91 years 214 days, when he graduated from the University of New England, New South Wales, Australia.
The Melis siblings are from the village of Perdasdefogu in the southeastern corner of the island, which has some of the oldest people in the world.
Eldest is Consolata Melis, who turns 105 Wednesday, followed by Claudia, 99, Maria, 97, brother Antonio, 93, and Concetta, 91.
Claudia still attends mass every week and Adolfo, 89, is still employed at a local bar, the Italian news agency ANSA said.
Concetta claims to be the happiest because, she says, she is surrounded by nine children, 24 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren, the newspaper La Nuova Sardegna said.
Luca Deiana, a professor of clinical biochemistry at the university of Sassari in Sardinia who has studied some 2500 centenarians on the island since 1996 said the longevity of local inhabitants was due to various factors.
Longevity is 25 percent influenced by genetics and 75 percent dependant on environmental, nutritional and lifestyle habits.
"On the one hand it is about genetics, about inherited longevity ... but there is also the bounty of the land and the local fruit, particularly pears and prunes," he was quoted as saying by Corriere della Sera.
He also said strong local family traditions contributed to long life.
According to the research conducted, the places with the longest life span will be those where inhabitants drink less alcohol, eat less wall-nuts, dairy and barley products and more meat.
Family traditions such as baking bread at home, which has less insulin and glycaemia, also helped.
The type of work as well as the distance from work and the steepness of the place where they will travel from will also affect the living age as it provides a good exercise.
Related world records:
Oldest bride and groom: California couple sets world record (Video)
Largest vow renewal party: John and Kimberly Dilosa sets world record
Oldest groom: Hazi Abdul Noor
Most wedding vows renewals: Mark and Denise Duffield-Thomas
Longest
marriage for a living couple: Herbert and
Zelmyra Fisher
Wednesday, August 22, 2012 9:02 AM |
