Oldest people in the world share secrets to a long and happy life

Want to live to over 100? You may need lots of bacon, no men and chocolate

Hideko Arima celebrating her 101st birthday with a drink in Tokyo (Getty)

Centenarians, and supercentenarians - people over 110 years old - are frequently the subject of widespread interest as they reach their latest milestone birthday.

Such is the inevitable fascination, journalists are invariably hard-wired to ask the same question upon interviewing those lucky enough to live to such a ripe old age; What's your secret?

But while doctors and scientists research ways into healthy living that involve regular exercise, no smoking, moderate drinking and probably lots of kale, the world's oldest people seem to have different ideas.

Whether it's incessant wine drinking, knitting things for aquatic birds or staying far away from the opposite sex, these pensioners have some unconventional tips to help you live a long and healthy life.

Avoid men

While celebrating her 109th birthday last year, Jessie Gallan, Scotland's then-oldest woman said the secret to a long life was staying away from men.

“They’re more trouble than they’re worth,” she told the Daily Mail, over a slice of cake.

She also credits her longevity to having porridge for breakfast, getting plenty of exercise and not getting married.

Jessie was born on a farm, and left home at the age of 13 to become a milkmaid.

She died two months after her 109th birthday.

Eat bacon every day, take a lot of naps

Susannah Mushatt Jones, the oldest living woman, celebrates her birthday (Reuters)

Susannah Mushatt Jones, born in 1899, is the world’s oldest living woman at 116. She believes eating bacon is the secret to a long life.

She has it every day for breakfast at her Brooklyn nursing home, then continues to eat it throughout the day.

She also takes regular naps on top of sleeping 10 hours per night, and chews a lot of Doublemint gum - four or five sticks at a time.

Avoid sex

Whether you’re following old Jessie Gallan’s no-men principle or not, "Britain’s oldest virgin" Clara Meadmore, who died at the age of 108, swore celibacy to be the key to a long life.

Clara said she was not gay, but that while she had platonic relationships with men, she chose not to pursue them further and focused on her career instead.

Born in Glasgow, Ms Meadmore lived in Egypt and New Zealand, before saving up £500 - the equivalent of £21,000 in today's money - by herself in order to return to Britain.

On the subject of sex, she told the Telegraph in 2008: "I imagine there is a lot of hassle involved and I have always been busy doing other things”.

Knit

Alfred 'Alfie' Date knitted penguin sweaters in his spare time (NineMSN news)

If you’re looking for a distraction from sexual relations, you should try knitting a sweater for a penguin.

That’s exactly what Australia’s oldest person said he did with his time.

Alfred Date, who turned 108 last year, said he spent his time in New South Wales care village knitting sweaters for Phillip Island’s Penguin Foundation.

Wearing a jumper can prevent penguins who’ve been caught in oil spills from swallowing too much of the oil off of their feathers.

Smoke a lot

Nepalese centennial Batuli Lamichhane, who was born in 1903, put his longevity down to smoking 30 cigarettes a day.

She’s been a heavy smoker for almost 100 years, and says the key to a long life is being stress free.

Despite overwhelming medical evidence that shows the clear and grave health risks attached to tobacco, the 112-year-old insisted there was nothing wrong with smoking - though she does make a point of avoiding ‘commercial’ cigarettes, and buys them locally made in Nepal.

Ms Lamichhane does not live in a nursing home - and does all of her household chores herself.

Eat chocolate

Jeanne Calment, the oldest woman to ever live (Getty)

Jeanne Calment, the oldest woman to ever live, died at the age of 122.

She ate more than two pounds of chocolate a week, and smoked until she was 117.

Ms Calment was born and died in France. She claims to have met Vincent Van Gogh in 1888.

Drinks lots of whisky

London’s Muriel Froomberg isn’t on the same page as Ms Lamichhane – she quit smoking five years ago, at the age of 102, though she does keep 800 cigarettes in her house in case she changes her mind.

She does, however, drink a bottle of whisky a week. She likes it with ginger ale.

The 107-year-old also eats chicken soup and asparagus at every meal.

Or wine

'When we were both at home we could get through 200 litres of wine a month,' Antonio Docampo García's son said (Family photo)

Antonio Docampo Garcia insisted he only drank homemade wine, never water, and could drink up to four bottles a night.

Although he died at the age of 107 in January, he was over a century old before he took his first antibiotics.

Mr Garcia owned his own vineyard, and out of the 60,000 litres of wine he produced, he kept 3,000 per year for himself.