Alex O'Brien
Caring

100-year-old claims gin is the secret to longevity

From fish and chips to swearing off men, we’ve heard some pretty crazy advice for living longer recently, but 100-year-old’s Mabel Jackson’s secret to longevity has to be our favourite – gin.

That’s right, the centenarian claims six gin and tonics a day is the key to living into the triple digits. “I have two at lunchtime, one at tea time with a biscuit and then three more during the evening while I do my knitting. I swear the gin keeps me young!” Jackson tells the Suffolk Gazette.

The great-grandmother appears to be the pinnacle of health, despite revealing she only gave up smoking three years ago and having stuck to her favourite drink for more than eight decades. It’s hard to argue with her, she has done the math, after all!

“I worked it out one night when I couldn’t get to sleep. Instead of counting sheep, I counted gins. You get around 35 measures in a bottle, so as I always have six a day it takes me around a week to get through a bottle. I know this because I buy one every Wednesday from the Co-Op. On that basis I buy 52 bottles a year, making 4,264 bottles since I started. That’s quite an achievement!”

Now that’s a mathematical formula we can get behind!

What do you think is the secret to a long life? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Related links:

Why happiness equals better health and a longer life

Why a good sex life can help you live longer

8 foods that will help you live longer

Tags:
alcohol, gin and tonic, Longevity, long life, gin