Discovered a type of herb that helps people live to be a hundred years old

Rosemary may be the secret to helping people live to be 100, according to experts who are studying 300 extremely old people in a remote village in Italy.

Rosemary is especially used in the cooking of centenarians in the village of Acciaroli, Italy. Photo: Corbis

For the first time, medical teams have been allowed to examine residents of Acciaroli, a small coastal village near the Italian resort of Salerno. Tucked between the sea and the mountains, the area is home to just a few thousand people, but among them are at least 300 men and women over 100 years old.

This is an extraordinary phenomenon when compared to other places, such as the United States, where the proportion of people over 100 years old in the total population is only 0.02%. Another special thing discovered about the elderly residents of Acciaroli is that they do not even suffer from heart disease and Alzheimer's disease.

Many believe that one of the main factors that helps Acciaroli’s elderly people live a long life and have few physical and mental illnesses is the Mediterranean diet, which is famous for its health benefits and is very popular throughout the region. However, according to researchers from the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego (USA) and the University of Rome (Italy), rosemary is especially used in their cooking.

Other factors are thought to be clean air and walking. According to the researchers, residents of Acciaroli regularly walk through the mountains to get to work or the shops.

The conclusions were drawn after researchers conducted a thorough review of the diet, lifestyle, blood samples and comprehensive survey responses of 300 centenarians in Acciaroli.

"The goal of this long-term study is to find out why this group of seniors live so long by conducting a comprehensive genetic analysis as well as investigating lifestyle behaviors, such as diet and exercise. The results of the study can be applied in our clinics and to other patients around the world," explained US physician and professor Alan Maisel.

According to Vietnamnet.vn