Considered the “Grandmother of Europe”, she will turn 117 on November 27th.
With a unique diet, the Italian is the last known person born before 1900.
In May, Emma Morano became the oldest woman in the world, after the death of American Susannah Mushatt Jones, who died at 116 years and 311 days.
Martina Luigia Emma Morano was born on November 27, 1899 and has already explained that the secret to her longevity is avoiding medication, drinking “grappa” (Italian brandy) and, above all, eating three eggs a day.
Emma Morano is considered the “Grandmother of Europe” – Photo: Antonino Di Marco/EPA
Suffering from anemia, when she was 20 years old – shortly after the First World War – Emma Morano was advised by a doctor to eat three eggs a day, raw or boiled. The Italian woman scrupulously followed this diet and has probably eaten more than 100 eggs.
Living in Verbania, an Italian commune in the Piedmont region located on the shores of Lake Maggiore, Emma continues to follow a diet that nutritionists would not recommend.
According to her family doctor, Emma always ate few vegetables and little fruit. “When I met her, she ate three eggs a day, two raw in the morning and an omelet for lunch. For dinner, I ate chicken,” she says. Now, “she eats a lot of cookies and doesn't want to eat meat because someone told her it caused cancer,” she adds.
Emma lived independently until she was 115 years old. Now, she spends most of her time in bed and needs someone to take care of her full time.
For Emma's doctor, who visits her weekly, the secret to longevity is, however, mainly genetic – her mother died at the age of 91.
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