Living to 100 Years Old – Chiyo Miyako. Welcome to the 4th in our series on centenarians. Chiyo Miyako lived from 5/2/1901 to 7/22/2018, a total of 117 years, 81 days. She is #8 on the list of all-time longest-lived people.
Ms. Miyako is one of three centenarians on our list that is from Japan, which boasts of a healthy diet culture and excellent healthcare. A Newsweek article claimed “Japan dominates the list of oldest people, both men and women. As of February 2018, the country was believed to be home to 69,000 people over the age of 100, of which 9,000 of them are men and 60,000 women.” This also highlights the disparity between men and women in terms of life expectancy.
Born in Wakayama Prefecture, which is kind of in the middle, length-wise, of Japan. The nearest major city is Osaka. She died in Yokohama. I think the reason that sometimes you get just the state (in Japan, prefecture) where a centenarian was born is probably because that is the authority that issues birth certificates. After 117 years, it might be hard to determine exactly where someone was born.
And Wakayama Prefecture was home to more centenarians. In fact, Chiyo was not the oldest person in her state until she was 114, when another 114-year-old, Kiyoko Ishiguro, died.
Quality of life:
Chiyo’s husband worked for the national railroad, which gave her the opportunity to travel throughout Japan. She also liked calligraphy which she practiced into her old age. Known for being talkative, she was chatty throughout her life.
Diet:
The 117-year-old’s favorite food was sushi. She also liked eel, and was described as a food-lover.
Secret to long life:
When asked how she lived so long, her secret for longevity, she said it was drinking rice wine and eating eel. She also never smoked.
What do we learn?
It isn’t surprising that the traditional Japanese fare of fish is part of a super-centenarian’s diet. It is high in protein, has a good protein-to-calorie ratio, and contains omega-3 fatty acids, which supplies the fat needed to process fat-soluble vitamins and all the other things for which we need fat (for more about fat, see episode 140, http://RunningAFEVER.com/140). Smoking, of course, is a no-no, and her abstinence from it contributed many years to her life.
Recorded on May 16, 2019.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldest_people
https://gerontology.wikia.org/wiki/Chiyo_Miyako
https://www.newsweek.com/who-worlds-oldest-person-miyako-chiyo-dies-117-passing-title-kane-tanaka-1044901
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/6188432/oldest-person-in-world-chiyo-miyako-japan/
Weight 7-day Avg. (change since Jan 2018): 215 (-60)
Workout time: 115 Minutes
Total Distance (total since Nov 2017): 7.23 Miles (494.02)
Steps: 18,938
Muscle Mass 7-day Avg. (change since Aug 2018): 151.94 (+9)
Body Fat 7-day Avg.: 29%
Daily Sleep Duration 7-day Avg: 6 hours
2019 Goal: 15% Body Fat