I have always been very concerned about the topic selection of centenarians, because we pay attention to health preservation, the purpose is to live a long and healthy life, and centenarians are already a model of health, so it is very important to study the living habits of centenarians.
We know that many longevity towns in the world are mostly distributed in alpine regions, remote mountainous areas, or paradises with beautiful mountains and rivers, such as the famous longevity towns in my country, such as Bama in Guangxi and Chengmai in Hainan, but it is impossible for everyone to grow up in In such a beautiful and quiet countryside, especially people living in cities, face all kinds of hustle and bustle every day, without the advantage of innate natural environment, how can we live a long life?
Rugao City, Jiangsu Province, is located in a coastal economically developed area, but it is rated as one of the six longevity towns in the world by the International Association of Natural Medicine. This is the only longevity town in the city. There is a saying in Rugao, "Seventy is normal, eighty is not unusual, and ninety is not uncommon." It turns out that a prosperous city can also breed birthday stars! Therefore, Rugao's experience needs our close attention.
So, how long do the old people in Rugao live?
The registered population of Rugao City in 2017 was about 1.43 million. Statistics show that as of December 31, 2017, there were 403 centenarians in Rugao City, including 89 males, 314 females, 24 over 105 years old, and 4 over 110 years old.
Seeing this, everyone can't help but ask, what are the reasons for Rugao's longevity?
We now summarize some of the mysteries for you.
01 Beautiful living environment
When you arrive in Rugao, you can really see small bridges and flowing water. In the urban area of Rugao, there are many gardens, including the famous Water Painting Garden where Mao Pijiang and Dong Xiaowan lived. This is a typical residential model in Rugao in the past. The scenery is beautiful and peaceful. In the suburbs, most houses can grow vegetables in the front and back, and ordinary families can eat fresh vegetables at any time. The old people can also take care of the flowers and plants by themselves, so they feel happy. Studies abroad have shown that the elderly who grow their own flowers and vegetables live longer than the comparison group, which is related to a happy mood. On sunny days, we can see many elderly people sitting in front of their houses, watching their vegetable fields basking in the sun. This peaceful and comfortable life is an important foundation for longevity.
02 Do not smoke, insist on drinking
The Rugao City Longevity Research Institute published a report entitled "Investigation and Preliminary Analysis of Centenarians in Rugao City", which summarized and analyzed the materials after a sample survey of 119 centenarians in Rugao City. analyze.
According to the report data, only 13% of these centenarians are regular smokers, 77% are never smokers, and 10% have quit smoking. This shows that centenarians basically do not smoke.
However, for drinking, the centenarians in Rugao showed surprising data. The centenarians drank frequently and occasionally accounted for 66.2%. 67% of the total number of those who drank liquor followed by those who drank other wines.
Another interesting thing is that among the elderly who drink alcohol, 64.4% drink almost every day. Among them, 5 elderly people drink 3 meals a day, and 23 elderly people drink 2 meals a day. This is a magical figure, as many as 64.4% drink every day! It shows that wine is basically the daily necessities of centenarians in Rugao.
Then, another number: the average wine age is 49.5 years. This shows that centenarians did not drink alcohol when they were young, but only started drinking when they were around fifty years old. So, after seeing this number, I suddenly had the idea of drinking. This is my age, hahaha, it seems that there is still time! picture
As for the amount of drinking, it is definitely not a booze. Most elderly people do not drink much each time, two taels of rice wine. This amount is just a little feeling, and it's fine if you haven't reached the state of being drunk.
So, what kind of wine do centenarians drink? I have thoroughly researched this question, and it is the local rice wine in Rugao. Rugao produces rice wine. Their local water quality is very good, rich in selenium and other trace elements, which is good for longevity. Rugao’s rice wine is also a slightly sweet rice wine with a very good taste. This is what Rugao people are very proud of. . In addition, the rice wine brewed by the centenarians at home is also a low-alcohol wine, but now they may not brew much by themselves, but drink more wine bought on the market.
Many health experts now oppose drinking, saying that drinking is harmful to health. There is such a joke circulating in Rugao that a centenarian said: "Every time I go to the hospital for a physical examination, the doctor advises me to quit drinking. Now, the doctors who advised me to quit drinking have passed away twice, and I am still alive." "Although this is a joke, I think the truth in it is intriguing. Alcoholism is not good, but is there a lot of truth in the healthy drinking method of centenarians?
In addition, it is tea. It is very strange that the centenarians in Rugao do not drink tea much. 78% of the centenarians mainly drink boiled water, 10% mainly drink light tea, and only 10% drink strong tea. 7%.
03Drink porridge twice a day, with meat and vegetables
This is a local custom, that is, to drink porridge in the morning and evening and eat at noon. This dietary characteristic is more obvious in centenarians. According to the survey, 74% of the long-lived elderly eat porridge in the morning and evening and rice for lunch. Many health experts now oppose drinking porridge, saying that it is related to blood sugar and other problems. Drinking porridge is like drinking sugar water. However, drinking porridge is indeed a traditional Chinese diet. The benefit of drinking porridge in the morning is to regulate the spleen and stomach. The stored food is basically emptied. At this time, the stomach in an empty state needs to replenish water and absorb nutrients. Drinking porridge for breakfast will not increase the burden on the stomach and intestines, which is beneficial to health. And after dinner, we have to rest. If we eat too much fat, sweet and thick flavor at this time, the burden on the spleen and stomach will increase, which will seriously affect the rest. Drinking porridge at night can reduce the burden on the stomach and intestines. In Bama, another hometown of longevity in China, centenarians also have the habit of drinking porridge.
So, what kind of porridge do centenarians drink? In Rugao, the general family mainly eats a pot of hot rice porridge or corn grits porridge in the morning and evening, plus steamed buns and other staple foods. Because Rugao belongs to Jiangbei, there are still some characteristics of northerners in their living habits. Polenta occupies an important role in the diet. A certain ratio, which is somewhat different from Jiangnan.
Among the centenarians, most of them eat vegetables with meat and vegetables, mainly vegetarian, but only one person is completely vegetarian. Among them, 58% of the old people mainly eat fish and eggs. According to the survey, 93% of the centenarians in Rugao eat not only fine grains such as rice and flour, but also coarse grains such as corn and barley. In addition, the study found that long-lived people in Rugao consume more eggs and milk, of which the average milk intake exceeds 2.5 kg per person per month, and the intake of meat protein is very low; more than 30% of people love to drink honey, often eat honey. More than 40% of red dates.
04 Eat fresh vegetables
The centenarians in Rugao like to eat fruits and vegetables, especially vegetables, which are the favorite of the local elderly. The most unique thing is that the locals especially love to eat radishes.
There is a local saying in Rugao: "Dry radish is crispy, and you can live to be a hundred years old if you often eat it." This is not without reason. Rugao is rich in radishes and radish products. There are shops selling radish products everywhere on Rugao Street. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that radish is a healthy food for digestion and smoothness. However, the radish in Rugao has another mystery, mainly because the land and water in Rugao are rich in trace elements, especially selenium, which is an essential trace element for the human body. Studies have shown that the content of available selenium in the soil in places with a large longevity population is twice as high as that in places with a small longevity population. This phenomenon has also been found in longevity towns such as Chengmai, Hainan. Because the local soil is rich in these trace elements and minerals, the nutritional value of the crops grown is also very high. The food of the long-lived elderly often contains a lot of selenium. The Rugao radish has been tested and its selenium content is 4 times that of other radishes. It is said that centenarians often use fresh radishes when cooking, or eat dried radishes as dishes when eating. I guess this is also related to longevity!
At the same time, the centenarians in Rugao like to eat soy products, such as the local specialty "Dried White Puxiang", which is a kind of food similar to dried tofu. It is very delicious, and the elderly in Rugao often eat it with meals. Rugao's rich soy products provide an adequate source of protein for the elderly's body.
05 like to bask in the sun
If you walk on the streets of Rugao, you will see many old people sitting in front of the house in the scenery of small bridges and flowing water, basking in the sun and chatting. This is a local custom, basking in the sun. Rugao people like to prevent diseases by basking in the sun. The ancient Chinese believed that Yang Qi is the great treasure of the human body, just like a red sun, when Yang Qi is strong, the human body will naturally be strong, and when Yang Qi is full, the body can resist the invasion of diseases. Therefore, the elderly in Rugao generally love to bask in the sun. What's different is that they focus on "basking their backs" when basking in the sun, which is also similar to the principles of traditional Chinese medicine. The back of the human body belongs to yang, and the abdomen belongs to yin. Yin Qi, the body will feel warm and harmonious. Moreover, adequate exposure to the sun can maintain the absorption of calcium in the body of the elderly. I believe this is also one of the secrets of longevity for the elderly.
06 Family Harmony
According to the survey data, 90% of the long-lived elderly have a harmonious family relationship, and most of them are multi-generational. Jiangsu is a region with rich traditional culture, and people generally agree with traditional culture, such as the tradition of respecting, loving and caring for the elderly, which is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people in Rugao. The centenarians in Rugao are often in the same family for several generations. The elderly are respected by their children, their daily life, food, clothing, housing and transportation are taken care of in an orderly manner, and they enjoy the family happiness with their children and grandchildren around their knees. Such a state of life is definitely conducive to prolonging life.
In addition, some research results are somewhat unexpected. For example, it is generally believed that centenarians must have a gentle and calm personality. However, the results of the study show that among centenarians, 38.7% of them are good-tempered, irritable, and irritable. %, this is a bit beyond people's expectations, that is to say, people with a quick temper may also live a long life. Moreover, among the centenarians, there are many very strong people. Some centenarians have been the backbone of the Anti-Japanese War in the past, or Women's Federation cadres, etc., are capable and strong, and they will live longer in the end. It can be seen that character is not the only factor.
There is also the issue of genetics. Generally, research on centenarians takes genetic factors as the first factor. However, the research on Rugao shows that it is different. The average age of fathers of centenarians in Rugao area is 69.4 years old and mothers are 72.2 years old. It should be said that this number is not high, so I don’t think genetics is the most important factor. Participate in the research Some experts believe that genetic factors account for about 25% of life expectancy, and the remaining 75% are other factors. I agree with this analysis.
Analyzing the life patterns of centenarians in various longevity towns is a very complicated process, because there are many factors involved in it, but I believe we will collect more and more information, and then summarize it, so that all of us Young people can learn, this must be the real way of health! I will contact all parties in the future and continue to investigate, hoping to present more discoveries to everyone!
