Secrets of the Oldest Man in the World

On Saturday, Shigechiyo Izumi will be 120 years old, the highest human age ever authenticated. But Izumi is only the most spectacular illustration of a trend that has now made the Japanese the longest living people in the world. What is the secret? To find out, Oliver Gillie, Medical Correspondent, visited Izumi at his remote coral island home, Tokunoshima, which hangs off the tip of Southern Japan.

Shigeshiyo Izumi walked forward to greet us. He was bent almost double, with watery eyes, wispy white beard and deeply wrinkled skin. His mind is still vigorous. Talking in the local dialect through interpreters, he could remember both his childhood more than 100 years ago and the people he had met the day before. Most important he still enjoys life, which, he said, has never ceased to be a pleasure.

His eyesight is still functional although one eye was damaged by a flying chip of wood when he was in his 60s. He also hears well although it is necessary to speak loudly and distinctly. Since his 80s he has had no teeth. He obtained a denture 30 years ago but has never used it.

In Izumi’s lifetime, Japan has changed from a traditional agricultural economy to one of the world’s leading industrial countries. But life on Tocunoshima has changed little. Izumi, who has always worked as a small farmer, says the monotonous life is good. His day generally begins with a walk round the garden. As recommended by Buddhist sages, he contemplates nature as he walks. But he is practical too: if he sees a weed, he roots it out.

In the past six years Izumi’s heart has weakened. But he has little cholesterol or fats in his bloodnad no signs of atherosclerosis, the condition that causes heart disease in Western people. Izumi’s doctor for the past 30 years says: “He has difficulty in breathing, and swelling of his legs. This is because his heart is ageing and is no longer pumping well. However, Izumi has had few serious illnesses. In 1982 he had a bad bout of pneumonia but rapidly got better with antibiotics and oxygen. An old man like this is very reponsive to drugs.”

Izumi smoked three or four cigarettes a day until he was 116 when he gave it up on doctor’s advice. Until he was 70 he drank very little. Then he developed a taste for shochu, a type of white rum made from sugar cane, which contains 40% alcohol. Each evening he drinks a third of a pint, always diluted, six or seven parts of warm water to one part spirit. The local shochu manufacturers have launched a special brand of ‘Longevity Liquor’ bearing Izumi’s portrait. But Izumi’s doctor says: “Izumi’s kidneys are not strong. I have advised him to stop drinking. I don’t think shochu provides a recipe for long life.” Izumi, however, says: “Without shochu there would be no pleasure in life. I would rather die than give up drinking.” And he presses more of the drink on his visitors with a smile.

Why has Izumi lived so long? Clearly his zest for life has helped. But his physical fitness as a young man and his diet throughout life are probably the key. As a young man Izumi was very fit. He was a local champion in sumo wrestling. But he did not have to train specially. His fitness came through hard work on the farm and tasks such as carrying potatoes to market on his back. Such hard exercise is now known to be very effective in lowering harmful types of cholesterol in the blood. And population studies have shown that sedentary people have an increased mortality from heart disease. Exercise helps to retard ageing processes.

As for diet, for most of his life Izumi has lived on vegetables from his farm – potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, tomato, aubergine, cucumber, carrots, spinach and cabbage. Izumi ate meat only on festival days. There was, anyway, little meat to be had on his island had his simple, largely vegetarian diet, changed little during his first 100 years.

But Izumi’s age is only the spectacular peak of a trend towards longevity in Japan. The life expectancy of the Japanese has risen by eight years since 1960. It is now the highest in the world: 74 for men, 80 for women. This compares with UK figures of 71 for men and 77 for women. The Japanese now live longer on average than people in Sweden, Canada, Iceland and France, which formely led the world in longevity. The reason for Japanese improvement is almost certainly a low incidence of coronary heart disease. Some 27% of people in Britain die of coronary heart disease compared with only 6.7% of people in Japan.

Izumi himself doesn’t like to be asked what the secret is of his longevity. He feels that he just happens to have had a long life and that there is no special reason for it. Pressed for an answer he says: “Only God knows. God will decide how long I am here.” When I asked if he had a message for the world he sang another island folk song which instructs people what to do at each stage of life. The song kept returning to a theme: “So long as we live, as far as we survive, we can do anything. Life is more precious than anything else.”

Speaking

Answer the following questions:

1. What were the secrets of Izumi’s long life?

2. In what ways is Izumi still in good health?

3. What health problems does he have?

4. What bad habits has he had?

5. Would you like to live that long? Why or why not?