"I Kept Eating This..." The Secret to Longevity of a Grandmother Who Turned 114

In Good Health Despite Advanced Age
"Enjoys Reading, Playing Games, and Talking with Her Son Every Day"

The oldest woman in Michigan, United States, celebrated her 114th birthday and revealed the secret to her longevity.

Bonita Gibson, a 114-year-old American woman this year. Longevity Quest website, an organization for the world's oldest people.

According to People magazine on July 5 (local time), Bonita Gibson, who was born on July 4, 1911, turned 114 on July 4.

Despite her advanced age, she remains in good health. She overcame measles, mumps, and whooping cough as a child, and even survived COVID-19 at the age of 109. According to her family, Gibson drove until she was 99, took her first airplane flight at 100, and visited a casino for the first time at 102. She currently enjoys reading and playing cards, and talks with her 88-year-old son Richard every night.

Her family cited potatoes as the secret to Gibson’s longevity. After marrying in 1930, her husband Kenneth Richard worked in the potato industry in Iowa, so potatoes were a regular part of Gibson’s diet. Richard retired in 1977 and passed away in 2003, but her family says Gibson still eats potatoes regularly.

In addition to abstaining from alcohol and tobacco and eating healthy meals, Gibson said that a positive mindset and always smiling are also her secrets to longevity.

According to Longevity Quest, an organization for the world’s oldest people, Gibson is the oldest person in Michigan. She is also approaching the record for the world’s oldest living person. Ethel Caterham, who is 115, has held this record since the death of Brazilian nun Inah Canavarro Lucas, who was 116, in April this year.

According to the Associated Press, Caterham, who lives in a care home in Surrey, England, said the secret to her longevity is "not fighting with anyone, listening, and doing what I want." She also told Guinness World Records that "it’s important to accept every opportunity, maintain a positive attitude, and do everything in moderation."

The oldest person ever recorded by Guinness World Records is Jeanne Louise Calment of France, who lived to be 122 years and 164 days old before her death in 1997.