Beer secret to a long life, says 110-year-old

A 110-year-old man, thought to be the oldest living person in the US, says drinking a can of beer everyday is the key to living a long life.

Behrends with his family. Credit: Omaha.com

Mark Behrends of Nebraska City, celebrated his 110th birthday on 16 May, making him Nebraska’s oldest living person and possibly in the US, as reported by Omaha.com.

However it wasn’t long walks and lean cuisine that he credited for his long life, but a can of beer everyday.

“He always told everybody the reason he has lived so long is drinking one can of beer, every day at 3 pm,” his daughter Lois Bassinger of Nebraska City told the paper. “He always joked that that was his medicine since he takes very little medicine.”

Behrends isn’t fussy on his choice of brew, but “leans toward Miller brands”, according to his daughter.

The centenarian is the oldest man in the United States among those whose age can be verified, according to the national Gerontology Research Group. Two other men — a 116-year-old in California and a 112-year-old in Illinois — have gaps in their age records.

Earlier this year four elderly residents living in a remote Chinese village cited drinking, smoking and hard work as the secret to living a long life. 

Yu Fangyin, 99, said he drank more than 10kgs of rice wine every month. His daughter explained that drinking and smoking is what keeps him happy and that he had no other interests.

“He is very healthy, is rarely ill, and is a bit of a celebrity in the village”, she said.