Love for Life

The Long Lived Cultures

Wallach claims that there are several “long-lived cultures” of the world whose people routinely live to be 120-140. He refers to an article published in National Geographic magazine.[1]This article brought a lot of fame and attention to these areas..

VILCABAMBA

There have been extensive studies performed upon the people of Vilcabamba in southern Ecuador in relation to their extreme old age. Alexander Leafs reports published in National Geographic were made simply by word of mouth, with little or no documented proof of their real age. When Dr Leaf returned to Vilcabamba four years later, he found that Miguel Carpiro, who had previously been the oldest man in the valley at age 121 years, had miraculously become 11 years older. When he demanded to see Carpio’s baptismal certificate as evidence of his birth date, it seemed to have conveniently disappeared in a church fire. The earliest book of existing records had also had its first seven pages torn out. [2]

The confusion about birth records was ultimately explained when it came to light that the people of Vilcabamba intermarry almost exclusively within the same mountain valley, and the same few names are used over and over. There is also a local tradition of reusing the same name within a family, so that a child born after an older sibling dies is likely to be given the exact same name. [3]

Several years after these initial visitations from researchers, radiologist Richard Mazess and anthropologist Sylvia Forman traveled to Vilcabamba to determine whether or not there was any validity to these claims. They studied the skeletal conditions of the locals to look for arthritis and osteoporosis. They performed a house-by-house census and checked records of births, deaths and marriages and cross checked various documents against each other. As they investigated these documents they found a consistent pattern of age exaggeration and consistent patterns of inconsistencies throughout the records. For eg, the Miguel Carpio who had miraculously transformed from 121 to 132 in only 4 years, was officially recorded as having died at age 112. They found out that when he was really 61, he reported that he was 70. Five years later he claimed to be 80, and when he was really 87, he said he was 121. His mother was actually born 5 years after his own stated birth date. [4]

Mazes & Forman found that this type of thing occurred consistently throughout the Vilcabamban population. They discovered that none of the 23 self-proclaimed centenarians had actually reached 100 at all, in fact their average age was seen to be closer to 86. [5]They also discovered that the bone mineral density of the Vilcabambans was significantly poorer than that seen in Americans of the same age.[6] Upon returning, published their findings in the Journal of Gerentology in 1979. They concluded:

"Systematic age exaggeration was found after age 70 in an Equadorian population noted for extreme longevity. Extreme ages (over 100 years) were either incorrect or unsubstantiated. There was no evidence of increased longevity in the Vilcabamba population"

When Alexander Leaf returned to Vilcabamba after his initial anecdotal report had been published in National Geographic, he discovered that his famous article had brought much appreciated tourist attention to the area, and he had been hailed as the economic savior of the region by the local governor. This governor had described Vilcabambas supposedly super old centarians as “our oil wells”. Leaf reported that this may explain the motive for their continually increasing age inflations and exaggerations. [2]

Even in 1978 when the scientific community was beginning to grow aware that these fantastic stories of old age in Vilcabamba were nothing but a myth, Japanese investors were negotiating with local authorities to build a high rise hotel, and an American entrepreneur was planning to market bottled water from Vilcabamba’s stream, no doubt in an attempt to sell it to people and claim that it could help others live to be incredibly old as well. [3] (sound like anybody we know?) Even today, Vilcabambas tourisms web site is still promoting the region as the “Valley of Longevity” “Where the years are added to your life and the life is added to your years”,[7] despite the discovery that it is a myth brought about by a few old villagers who lied about their age to gain the respect of the other villagers and present an interesting story to the National Geographic.

CAUCASUS MOUNTAINS

Some of the most preposterous longevity claims come from the remote Caucasus mountains, formerly part of the USSR, but now consisting of independent states of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. There is no reliable documentation of these longevity claims either. During the National Geographic article, Leaf mentions a woman who claimed to be over 130 years old who smoked a pack of cigarettes every day and drank a shot of vodka each morning. [1] This woman had no real documentation to prove her age either; Leaf simply went on what she had told him in an interview.

During the late 19th century, when these putative centenarians claim to have been born, these areas were repeatedly ravaged by wars and social dislocation and church records from this era rarely exist. In fact, no Soviet identification documents were even required before 1932. Birth dates for identification card of people born before 1932 were determined simply by oral interviews (anecdotal accounts). [8]

After studying the people of this region extensively, a Russian geneticist named Zhores Medvedev shattered the myths regarding these people’s claims of extreme longevity.[9] He found that many of the supposed centenarians had actually assumed the identity of their dead parents and grandparents to avoid detection after they had deserted the military forces during World War I. For example, one of the supposed oldest centenarians who appeared in a government newspaper on his alleged 128th birthday was exposed after it had been discovered that he was also one of these many World War I deserters who had been using his fathers papers to avoid being found out. He was actually 78. Medvedev also discovered that because most of the people in these areas are Muslims, there was confusion in translating the 10-months Islamic calendar into our 12-month one. Also, the motivational purpose behind these peoples exaggerations was found to be that because Starlin was a Georgian, he enjoyed hearing stories about extreme old age in Georgia.

Ultimately, due to extreme isolation, poor record keeping and consistent confusion and lying about ages and identities, the notion that these people lived to extreme old age was determined to be nothing more than a fantastic myth. [10]

HUNZA’S

Claims of Hunza longevity have been published in several books throughout the 20th century. [11-14] Stories of extreme old age among Hunza people have become a modern urban legend. (More like a myth) The problem in determining the accuracy of the reports of people who have traveled to this area to write about the Hunzas is that just like the other areas of the world where extreme longevity claims are made, the researchers have obtained the ages of these people purely by asking them. That is, they have simply taken their word for it, despite the fact that it is well known that in these areas of the world, extreme old age is frequently exaggerated to gain respect and an elevated social stature. The Hunzas have absolutely no written documentation to provide evidence of their age at all, thus, any reports that these people live to be over 100, are simply anecdotal.

Something that Wallach fails to mentions from these anecdotal reports however is that the Hunzas lead an extremely healthy life. Reports claim that any actual longevity may be due to vigorous exercise, farming with optimally cured manure and particularly the fact that they eat a vegetarian like diet and stay physically active throughout their live.[13] The Hunza’s have been at the centre of claims made by Vegetarianism proponents who use these reports to justify the notion that a vegetarian diet is healthy. [15] There is a plethora of scientific evidence to validate the healthfulness of vegetarianism, [16-21] however due to the lack of real record keeping and consistent exaggerations found among these people, this evidence is far from valid

TIBETANS

It is very unusual that Wallach would claim that the Tibetans are among the “long-lived” populations. " The average lifespan of the Tibetans has been increased in recent. According to news reports that examined recent national Census information, the average lifespan of the people of Tibet has been increased from 36 (in 1951) to 67 (in 2000). [22] This recent rise in lifespan has been attributed to a better quality of medical and Health-Care services that have become available to the population as well as the eradication of small pox and leprosy; NOT “glacial milk”.

IN CONCLUSION

Obviously Wallach uses these exaggerated claims to excite his audiences and prove that we all have the genetic potential to live to be between 120-140. In actual fact, the oldest recorded living human was Jeanne Louise Calment who died at age 122.[23] The country that has the largest number of persons over the age of 100 is actually Sweden, and the country with the longest average life expectancy is Japan. [3] Although there have obviously been many anecdotal reports of those that have lived longer, none have been verified. Wallach claims that the thing which these supposed long-lived people have in common is that they all live near areas of “glacial milk” which is rich in “colloidal minerals.” This is of course nonsense, but to an ignorant and gullible audience, this idea sounds very appealing and is a very convincing way to lead people to believe that they too can harness this mystical secret and enjoy good health and longevity like these “long-lived cultures.” Upon examining the actual evidence, Wallachs stories are simply a hoax designed to lull people into a false sense of security and hand over money for bottles of this colloidal mineral water, which in actual fact, has only tiny amounts of most beneficial minerals whilst containing levels of aluminum several thousand times higher than what is considered safe in drinking water. (See: Aluminum & Alzheimer's Disease)

There are several things that the “long-lived cultures” have in common, but none of them are “glacial milk.” Firstly, they all come from remote villages with poor literacy skills. Secondly, they come from areas where record keeping is poor or even non existent. Thirdly and most importantly, they come from areas where it is seen to be honorable to be very old, therefore people routinely exaggerate their actual age. Wallach is simply a snake oil salesman trying to sell people the “secret” to good health and longevity. There is after all, a sucker born every minute, which explains why so many thousands of gullible people word wide who have heard Wallachs “message” have fallen for his lies, passing money up the pyramid to those at the top whilst pestering their friends and family into hearing this “message” as well.

REFERENCES

1. Dr. Alexander Leaf, National Geographic, January, 1973

2. Leaf, A. Long lived populations: extreme old age. J Am Geriatric Soc., 30, 485. 1982

3. Austad, S.N. Why we age: What science is discovering about the body’s journey through life. 1997. John Wiley & Sons Inc. Ney York.

4. Mazess, R.B. and Forman, S.H., Longevity and age exaggeration in Vilcabamba, Ecuador., J. Gerentology., 34: 94. 1979

5. Mazess RB. Bone mineral in Vilcabamba, Ecuador. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1978 Apr;130(4):671-5

6. Mazess RB, Mathisen RW. Lack of unusual longevity in Vilcabamba, Ecuador. Hum Biol. 1982 Sep;54(3):517-24

7. www.vilcabamba.org

8. Medvedev, Zh.A., Caucasus and Altay longevity: a biological or social problem? Gerentol, 14:381, 1974

9. Medvedev, Zh.A., Age structure of Soviet Population in the Caucasus: facts and myths, in The Biology of Human Aging, Bittles, A.H. and Collins, K.J., Eds., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1986, 181.

10. Bennett, N.G. and Garson, L.K. Extraordinary longevity in the Soviet Union: fact or artifact, Gerentologist, 26:358 1986

11. R. Taylor. Long Life and Hapiness 1994.

12. Rodale, J.I. The Healthy Hunzas. 1948

13. Hoffman, J.M. Hunza: Secrets of the worlds Healthiest and Oldest Living People. 1973

14. Taylor, R. Hunza Health Secrets for Long Life and Happiness

15. Hebbelinck, M. Vegetarian Nutrition, Physical Activity and Athletic Performance. EVU News, Issue 2 / 1996 http://www.ivu.org/congress/euro95/athletic.html

16. Phillips RL Role of life-style and dietary habits in risk of cancer among seventh-day adventists. Cancer Res. 1975 Nov;35(11 Pt. 2):3513-22

17 Sacks, F.M., et al. Effect of ingestion of meat on plasma cholesterol of vegetarians. JAMA 246:640

18. Sacks, F.M., Castelli, W.F., Donner, A. and Kass, E.H., Plasma lipids and lipoproteins in vegetarians and controls. N Eng J Med., 292, 1148. 1975.

19. Zetts, R.A., Avent, H.H., Murray, T.D. and squires, W.G. Comparison of high density lipoprotein levels between vegetarian and non vegetarian Med Sci Sports Exercise, 17. 285. 1985.

20. Fraser GE. Diet as primordial prevention in Seventh-Day Adventists. Prev Med. 1999 Dec;29(6 Pt 2):S18-23.

21 Frank B Hu Plant-based foods and prevention of cardiovascular disease: an overview Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, Sep 2003; 78: 544S – 551

22. Xinhua News Agency 07/23/2001 “Tibetans Are Living Longer” http://www1.china.org.cn/english/2001/Jul/16442.htm

23. Cunningham, A. Guiness World Records 2002. Guiness World Records Ltd. Page 18. http://guinnessworldrecords.com/gwr5/content_pages/record.asp?recordid=4...

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