Longevity: to Melis Family from Perdasdefogu (Sardinia Island) the new world record for the highest combined age for nine living siblings (21 August 2012)

Demographic analysis in the Mediterranean island of Sardinia revealed an extreme longevity in a mountain inner area where the proportion of oldest subjects among male population has one of the highest validated value worldwide. Many studies on longevity in the population of Sardinia (NIH, CNR, etc) suggest that biological and genetic factors, behavioral factors including life style, food quality, demographic behavior, family support and community characteristics may play an important role. Sardinia, which was first settled around 6,000 B.C., is home to one of the world's few "founder" populations. These populations, including those located in Iceland, Finland and French-speaking Quebec, arose from small numbers of individuals.

According to local newspaper La Nuova Sardegna ("È una famiglia di Perdasdefogu la più longeva di tutto il pianeta", 20 Agosto 2012) the eldest sibling Consolata claims to be happiest because she is surrounded by nine children, 24 grandchildren, and 25 great-grandchildren.
Commenting this record, Craig Glenday, Editor-in-Chief for Guinness World Records said: "The Mediterranean lifestyle is always held up as being beneficial to a long, healthy life, and Italians in particular feature prominently in the list of supercentenarians and centenarians".
"On the one hand it is about genetics, about inherited longevity, as shown by the fact that the surnames of centenarians crop up again and again" told to Corriere della Sera ("Una famiglia da Guiness: 9 fratelli per 818 anni", 20 Agosto 2012) Luca Deiana, a professor of clinical biochemistry from the University of Sassari in Sardinia.
Andrea Mameli www.linguaggiomacchina.it 21 Agosto 2012
Read more:
- Sardinian siblings aged 818 officially the world's oldest (The Telegraph, 21 August 2012)
- Nove fratelli 818 anni, viene dall’Ogliastra la famiglia da record (La Stampa, 21/08/2012)
- Shorter Men Live Longer: New Study in Sardinia (Jun 13th, 2012)
- A Population Where Men Live As Long As Women: Villagrande Strisaili, Sardinia (Journal of Aging Research. Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 153756).
- On the Table in Sardinia: Red Wine, Bread and Cheese (21 Oct 2009)
- All Roads Lead to...Sardinia!? (2004)
- Sardinia attracts scientists to study aging (February 15, 2002)
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