World's oldest man Walter Breuning dies in US aged 114

The world's certified oldest man, whose advice to others included the observation "you're born to die", has passed away aged 114 in the US.

Walter Breuning was old enough to remember his grandfather recounting his part in the slaughter of the American Civil War, during the 1860s.

In his final years in Montana, he was passionate about ending two modern wars, those in Iraq and Afghanistan.

His long good health he put down to a strict regime of two meals a day.

"How many people in this country say that they can't take the weight off?" he asked in an interview with the Associated Press news agency in October.

"I tell these people, I says get on a diet and stay on it. You'll find that you're in much better shape, feel good."

The former railway clerk died of natural causes in hospital in Great Falls.

He had been living in the same retirement home since 1980.

His wife of 35 years, Agnes Twokey, died in 1957.

"We got along very good," Breuning said. "She wouldn't like to spend money, I'll tell you that."

Of his grandfather, he remembered hearing, at the age of three, his recollections of killing Southerners during the Civil War.

"I thought that was a hell of a thing to say," he said.

Reflecting on mortality, he told the Associated Press: "We're going to die. Some people are scared of dying. Never be afraid to die. Because you're born to die." ...

via BBC News - World's oldest man Walter Breuning dies in US aged 114.

Congratulations on the long life and rest in peace, Walter B. Two meals a day, eh? Might be something to that.

Avoid the Major Causes of Death
A person born in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century could expect to live to an age of 49 years. At the end of the 20th century, life expectancy had increased to 77 years. This increase of 57 percent was the result of improvements in public health, medicine, and nutrition. Similar improvements have been achieved throughout the world by the eradication and control of infectious diseases and advances in agriculture. However, the maximum life span of humans has not changed substantially. Only 1 in 10,000 people in developed countries can expect to live to 100 years of age.

The first step in living to a ripe old age is to avoid the major causes of death by understanding their origin. The Center for Disease Control listed the following number of casualties from the top ten leading causes of death for the U.S. in 2005:

• Heart Disease: 652,091


• Cancer: 559,312


• Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 143,579


• Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 130,933


• Accidents (unintentional injuries): 117,809


• Diabetes: 75,119


• Alzheimer's disease: 71,599


• Influenza/Pneumonia: 63,001


• Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 43,901


• Septicemia: 34,136

The risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes can be reduced substantially by eating nutritious natural foods, maintaining a normal weight, exercising regularly, and not smoking. The chance of death can also be decreased by avoiding drugs, alcohol abuse, pollution, violence, and wars. At the same time, it is important to practice good hygiene, get competent medical care, get protective vaccinations, and avoid risky behavior that can result in accidents or infection with the viruses that cause AIDS or hepatitis.

Survival of Mice on Various Degrees of Calorie Restriction (Walford)

Calorie Restriction Extends Life
The life-extending effect of reduced calorie diets was reported in 1935 along with the observation that CR stunted body size.[1]  Since then, CR has been proven to extend the average and maximum life span for many species including yeasts, worms, mice, rats, etc. Animal experiments on calorie restriction after maturity indicate that adult-onset CR also increases longevity. ...

How to start calorie restriction.

Read Dr. Roy Walford's book Beyond the 120 Year Diet: How to Double Your Vital Years. This book describes the science which we hope will help us live longer, although this has not been conclusively proved for humans.

Download CRON-o-Meter (http://spaz.ca/cronometer/). This is a free nutrition-tracking program that will help you to analyze your food so that you can learn to optimize what you eat. You don't have to start a diet, but you have to start measuring and weighing what you eat. In this way, you will learn how many calories you are now consuming on a daily basis, and you will also get a summary of your macronutrient ratios. The program will also point out any nutritional deficiencies.

Get some lab tests to establish a medical baseline including lipid panel, CBC, blood pressure, bone density, etc.

Join the Calorie Restriction Society. This will give you access to support from many members who can answer your specific questions.

Concentrate on Optimum Nutrition. ...

Exercise 30 minutes per day with emphasis on strength-building exercises, but don't overdo it to avoid getting injured.

Use the Calorie Restriction Calculator to determine the number of calories required to achieve 5% Calorie Restriction. Start with a 5% CR diet, but make sure that you still achieve Optimum Nutrition on the lower calorie diet.

Once you are familiar with measuring your food and optimum nutrition, you can gradually reduce your calories. ...