Living Long in the Land of Cha Cha Cha

By Micheal Seabaugh

I recently reported on those yoghurt- (actually, Matsoni-)
eating Abkhazians and their “long-living” ways. A little song, some
nuts, and, most importantly, a respect for aging — all have
powerful effects on living the long life back in old southern
Russia.

But these plucky folks aren’t the only ones who are winning the
long life lottery. Most of us know about the Okinawans, who live
longer because they eat fish and stay away from Western-style
stress. Even in the United States — loaded with Western-style
stress — the number of centenarians doubled in the 1980s and did so
again in the 1990s. Some estimates claim we have more than 70,000
centenarians with projections coming in that by 2050, there will be
more than 800,000 Americans who can claim this Grand Geezer
status.