Living Long in the Land of Cha Cha Cha

Why Cubans Live So Long

I recently reported on those yogurt (actually matsoni) eating Abkhazians and
their “long-living” ways. A little song, some nuts, and, most
importantly, a respect for aging… all having powerful effects on
living the long life back in old Southern Russia. But these plucky
folks aren’t the only ones that 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, which is presumably 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.