World’s newest oldest person shares two secrets of her long life!

After the death of Kane Tanaka, a 119-year-old woman from Japan, French nun Sister André has been conferred with the title of the world's oldest person by the Guinness World Records (GWR) at the age of 118 years.

Sister André was born on February 11, 1904 as Lucille Randon. She looked after children as a governess and became a nun during World War Two in 1944. She has been living in a nursing home in Toulon, France, for the past 12 years. Interestingly, the secret to her long life mostly revolved around the food she eats.

Kane Tanaka had lived a century long due to lifestyle choices such as waking up early everyday and reading every afternoon. Meanwhile, the reason behind the long life of Sister André is a glass of wine every day and chocolate.

With Sister André as a living proof, several studies over the years have also pointed out the health benefits of moderate consumption of wine and chocolate.

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Sister André, who has lived through the first world war, the Spanish Flu in 1918, and also conquered the deadly coronavirus in 2021, has been consuming a glass of wine every day.

Researchers have found that wine, especially red wine that is made from crushed dark grapes, gets its health benefits from its antioxidants. These antioxidants reduce oxidative stress in the body, which is linked with many diseases, including cancers and heart diseases. Drinking a glass of wine may also keep you mentally sharp into your old age.

While wine consumption may have some health benefits, drinking too much of any type of alcohol can increase health risks. Excess alcohol can directly harm your heart and therefore, it is advised to drink it in moderate quantities.

Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, is also a powerful source of antioxidants. It is specifically the cocoa's rich flavonoid content in chocolate that is linked to positive outcomes. So the chocolate with health benefits is the one with a higher percentage of cocoa. Several studies have found a link between moderate chocolate consumption and decreased risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

Since excess of everything is bad, eating large amounts of dark chocolate can lead to an increased heart rate, diarrhea, anxiety and dehydration. If you are sensitive to caffeine or if you have high blood pressure, you should avoid consuming too much dark chocolate.

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Interestingly, Jeanne Louise Calment, a woman who holds the record for the oldest person ever, was also fond of wine and chocolates. Calment lived to be 122 years and 164 days old. One of Sister André’s confidants told news agency AFP that she feels Calment’s record “is within reach, if she’s going to stay on Earth, she might as well make it”.