 "Italian family in Sardinia is world's oldest")
Rome, Aug 21 (IANS) The oldest family in the world is an Italian one living on the island of Sardinia, where nine brothers and sisters have a collective age of 818 years, according to the Guinness World Records.
Italy’s AKI news agency said that after seven years of investigation, Guinness announced that the Melis family from Olgiastra is the longest-living family in the world.
The family comprises nine brothers and sisters with a collective age of 818 years, 205 days.
The oldest is Consolata (105), followed by Claudia (99), Maria (97), Antonio (93), Concetta (91), Adolfo (89), Vitalia (81) and Mafalda (78), all of whom are in good health.
AKI said this should not come as a surprise considering that their native city is scientifically proven to be among one of the places with the longest life span in the world.
In Sardinia, men and women have both elevated and equal chances of reaching 100 years, according to a study published in scientific journal “Nutrition Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases”.
The study was carried out by two doctors and researchers of the University of Sassari, a city in the northwest part of the island.
They studied all 377 cities and towns in Sardinia, and used historic documents dating from the 1930s and 40s to help trace the lifestyle of the people.
Longevity is 25 percent influenced by genetics and 75 percent dependent on environmental, nutritional and lifestyle habits, they said.
According to the research, the places with the longest life span will be those where inhabitants drink less alcohol, eat less walnuts, dairy and barley products, and more meat.
Family traditions such as baking bread at home, which has less insulin and glycaemia, also help.
The type of work as well as distance from work and the steepness of the place also affect the age as they provide good exercise.
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