Longevity is luck, says oldest man in the world – 04/05/2024 – Balance

The world’s oldest man, 111-year-old Briton John Tinniswood, said his longevity was “just luck” and there is no special secret to his diet — although his favorite dish is fish and chips every Friday.

Tinniswood, who has been retired for more than half a century, inherited the Guinness World Records title from 114-year-old Venezuelan Juan Vicente Perez Mora, whose death was announced earlier this week.

Born in 1912 in Merseyside, northern England, the retired accountant and former Tinniswood postal worker is 111 years and 222 days old.

He gave a succinct answer when asked about the secret to his longevity, however: “You either live long or you live short, and there’s not much you can do about it.”

Guinness World Records said in a statement that Tinniswood’s claim to the record was evaluated by its experts and the Gerontology Research Group, which catalogs the world’s confirmed “supercentenarians.”

The oldest man of all time was Jiroemon Kimura of Japan, who lived to be 116 years and 54 days old. The oldest woman and oldest living person overall is Maria Branyas Morera of Spain, aged 117.

Tinniswood gave a somewhat considered view of the state of the world.

“The world, in its own way, is always changing. It’s kind of an ongoing experiment… It’s getting a little better, but not that much yet. It’s going in the right direction.”