Born in 1894, George Johnson, whose father managed the B&O Railroad, passed away last week despite living on a curious diet that consisted almost solely of breakfast food. After an autopsy, doctors claimed he had the intestines of a man half his age.
"He had terrible, bad habits. He had a diet largely of sausages and waffles," Dr. Stephen Coles, founder of the Gerontology Research Group at UCLA told the AP on Friday.
Last week was rough on the "super-centenarians" (those who are over 110 years old): on Tuesday the world's oldest person, María Esther de Capovilla of Ecuador, passed a few weeks before her 117th birthday.
"A lot of people think or imagine that your good habits and bad habits contribute to your longevity," Coles said. "But we often find it is in the genes rather than lifestyle."
Johnson's death means that the oldest living Californian might actually be a resident of LA. Coles' UCLA group is currently investigating a claim by a man who purports to be 112. No word on if he sustains himself on Pink's hot dogs and Jägermeister, but we're sure as hell keeping our fingers crossed.
photo by mahr via flickr
