Oldest people are his career

Robert Young says he believes that age is just a number —- no matter how high it gets.

The aptly named Young has spent 20 years studying the older set and maintains a database of verified supercentenarians —- people age 110 and older.

Young’s work came into focus recently with the Jan. 19 death of Beatrice Farve of Brunswick, who at 113 was listed by Young as the second-oldest person on Earth.

Farve’s death followed a familiar pattern observed by the Atlanta gerontology researcher. More people than ever, he says, are living to age 110 and older —- but then are dying shortly thereafter.

What began as a hobby when Young was 12 has blossomed into a career as a senior claims researcher with the Gerontology Research Group and senior gerontology consultant with Guinness World Records.

He never met Farve, but Young has met 17 supercentenarians, including two Mississippi women who changed his perspective on living a long life.

Bettie Wilson (born in 1890) was the daughter of slaves and taught herself to read and write. When Young met her in 2004, when she was 114, she read the newspaper to him and could still sign her name. Her second marriage lasted 72 years, and her son was 96 when she died at age 115.

Susie Gibson (also born in 1890) talked about events such as going to see something new called a motion picture in 1912, but having the event postponed by news of the sinking of the Titanic, and about waiting for hours to vote in 1920, when women nationwide got that right. At 95, she rescued a boy from drowning, and she walked regularly until age 109.

The two women, whom Young called “True Southern Delights,” died three days apart in 2006; their funerals were the same day. Recordings of his interviews with them were donated to the University of Mississippi.

People who live a long life can remain vibrant and active, Young said.

Science can extend the life spans of organisms such as yeast and flatworms, he said, but has yet to unlock the secret to human longevity.

When that happens, Young said, “it will be the biggest breakthrough in human history, save possibly the advent of the nuclear age.”

SUPERCENTENARIAN FACTS

> The United States and Japan tend to dominate the ranks of oldest living people. The U.S. had six of the oldest 10 before the January death of Georgian Beatrice Farve; Japan had the remainder.

> South Dakota had the highest reported rate of centenarians per capita, according to the 2000 census. Iowa was second; Nebraska third.

> Iowa maintains a high rate of supercentenarians per capita partly due to its farming population. People living on farms tend to live longer because they were less likely to catch infectious diseases, stayed physically active, avoided city life stresses and ate fresh vegetables.

> Georgia was rated among the top four states for longevity claims during a 1980-1999 study period, but many of the claims could not be verified and resulted from poor recordkeeping.

> Georgia boasts several supercentenarians, and the current world’s oldest person, Gertrude Baines, was born in Shellman, Ga. (150 miles southwest of Atlanta), in April 1894. She lives in Los Angeles.

Source: Robert Young, Gerontology Research Group database

SUPER-AGING X FACTORS

Atlanta gerontology researcher Robert Young cites the following factors as elements that appear to help extend one’s life span:

Don’t be overweight. Almost all super-centenarians have never been obese. Rapid weight gain or loss is not good.

Be a woman. About 90 percent of supercentenarians are female, a fact attributed mostly to genetics. Females outlive males from conception, and males possess strength for performance, but not for longer-term survival.

Maintain a routine. Those who live the longest tend to get up and go to bed at the same time every day. It’s important to get a good night’s sleep, but also to be in tune with what your body is saying.

Stay mentally and physically active. Beatrice Farve of Brunswick, who died Jan. 19 at age 113, worked until age 100. Working helps people maintain a daily routine and feel like they are accomplishing something. Most tend to cut back gradually over time (for example, working three days a week instead of five).

Walk. Not all supercentenarians exercised vigorously, but all of them remained physically active. Most supercentenarians could walk until age 105 and beyond. Also: People who live on second floors tend to live longer.

Maintain a healthy lifestyle. Most supercentenarians rarely visited a doctor because they took care of themselves before problems arose.

Apply moderation. Eat smaller meals in more frequent increments. Mix the good with the bad. For example, if you are a meat-lover, mix in a few vegetables.

Drink a glass of red wine a day. A study in the Netherlands found that those who did not drink alcohol lived to 80; those who drank beer and wine lived to 82; those who drank wine lived to 84. Jeanne Calment, the oldest person on record (she died at 122), drank a glass of port a day.

(Note: Heavy drinking is not good; too much alcohol damages the liver, and cheaper alcoholic products often have high levels of toxins.)