Edna Parker of Shelbyville, Indiana, who became the world’s oldest person more than a year ago, has died at the age of 115. UCLA gerontologist Dr. Stephen Coles keeps a list of the world’s oldest people and said Parker was the 14th oldest supercentenarian in history. Maria de Jesus of Portugal, born Sept. 10, 1893, is now the world’s oldest living person. Research has shown that children of parents that live to be 100 or more also live longer and have less risk of heart attacks, strokes and diabetes. However, good genes won’t necessarily get you past 100 on their own, but it certainly helps. Friends and family say Edna walked a lot and always stayed active, even after moving into a nursing home at age 100 where she, coincidentally, lived with 7-foot-7 Sandy Allen, who is recognized by Guinness as the world’s tallest woman until her death this past August.
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Tags: 100, age, allen, edna, genes, gerontology, old, parker, sandy, supercentenarian
Dr. Steven Chang, the author of DailyDose, is a staff physician with Kosmix RightHealth. Dr. Chang practices Family Medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where his medical interests include both pediatric and geriatric care, public health, gay and lesbian health, and sleep medicine. Dr. Chang trained at the Stanford University affiliated O'Connor Hospital, and was a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He holds an M.D. from McGill University and a BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.