116세로 최장수 여성 세상을 떠나다. 베세 브라운 쿠퍼(Besse Brown Cooper)여사

지난 2012년 12월 4일, 미국 조지아주에 살던 최장수 베세 브라운 쿠퍼 여사가 세상을 떠났다. 지구상에서 가장 오래살았다는 기록뿐만 아니라, 건강하게 오래 살았다는 기록으로도 기억해야 할 사실이다. 

쿠퍼 여사는 1896년에 테네시에터 태어나서 116세에 세상을 떠나도록 심각하게 아프거나 심각하지 않은 질병에도 걸리지 않았다. 쿠퍼의 아들 시드니에 따르면 "외과 수술도 받은 적이 없다."라고 말하고 있다. 네 아이 중 첫째 때문에 병원에 간 것이 처음로 33세가 되도록 병원에 가서 진단을 받은 적이 없었다. 그리고 쿠퍼 여사의 정신도 놀라와 아주 오래된 기억도 또렸했다는 것이다. 

최근 들어 미국에서는 100세 이상 인구가 급증하고 있는데 2010년 미국 센서스에 따르면 미국내 100세 이상 인구는 53,364명에 이르는 것으로 파악되고 있으며 이는 지난 2000년에 비해서 5.8% 증가한 것으로 조사되었다. 116세까지 살았던 쿠퍼 여사의 장수 비결 몇 가지를 살펴보니, 

1. 균형잡힌 식단에 '쓰레기 음식'을 먹지 않았다. 
2. 텃밭 가꾸기를 수십년간 해왔다. 
3. 장수 유전자가 있다고 생각하지 않았다. 
4. 홀로 사는 것이 도움이 되었을 수 있다. 
5. 유머 감각이 있었다. 

Besse Brown Cooper, who passed away at age 116 on Dec. 4 in Georgia, was remarkable not just because she was the oldest person on the planet, but because she was for long one of the healthiest.

Cooper, who was born in 1896 in Tennessee and lived in a log cabin as a young girl, not only lived to become one of eight documented individuals who reached the age of 116 but also made it through virtually her entire lifespan without any serious illnesses or ailments. “She never had surgery in her life,” Cooper’s son Sidney told Georgia Health News in August 2012. In fact, she’d never even been in a hospital at all until she checked in at age 33 to have the first of her four children. And Cooper remained mentally sharp and still possessed what her son described as “amazing” long-term memory. She ably conversed with Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal when he visited to honor her with a proclamation last year.

Centenarians have been increasing in number in recent years — in 2010, the U.S. Census found 53,364 people age 100 or older in the U.S., an increase of 5.8 percent since 2000 — making it to Cooper’s age is a level beyond that. So how did Cooper, one of the few people ever to live in three different centuries, manage to stay so fit and vital? Articles about Cooper over the years reveal a few of her secrets:

[1900년 미국 센서스 자료에 등재된 실제 자료]

1. Eat a balanced diet, but don’t be afraid to enjoy what you like in moderation. Cooper’s son told Georgia Health News that while his mother ate lots of vegetables and generally avoided “junk food,” she occasionally had a few potato chips, as well as fried chicken and bacon-and-egg breakfasts, the sort of stuff that nutritional purists abhor.

2. Do your own yard work. Cooper enjoyed being outdoors and raked her own leaves and did other yard work for decades.

3. Don’t assume that genes are everything. While scientists have found evidence that genetic factors play an important role in exceptional longevity and that the trait may be inherited, Cooper proves there are exceptions. Neither of her parents made it past age 72, and her seven siblings all died in the sixties and seventies.

4. Solitude may have its benefits. Cooper’s husband Luther died in 1963, when Cooper was in her late sixties. But she didn’t remarry, instead choosing to live alone for nearly another half-century.

5. Have a sense of humor. At a ceremony to commemorate the naming of a local bridge after Cooper,  her son Sidney noted that his mother’s wit seemed to keep growing sharper as she got older. When she was informed about the honor, Cooper reportedly responded, “I’m glad I gave ‘em a reason to name it.

Besse Berry Cooper (née Brown; born August 26, 1896) is an American supercentenarian. Georgia woman Besse Cooper, the world's oldest person, celebrated her 116th birthday. One of her gifts was a bridge named after her by the city leaders. Born in 1896 in Tennessee, Cooper, who worked as a teacher. 

Her secret to longevity: "I mind my own business," Cooper said. "And I don't eat junk food." The supercentenarian is also a grandmother of 12, great-grandmother of 15 and great-great-grandmother of one. The person with the longest human lifespan ever recorded was Jeanne Calment, of France, who was born in 1875 and died in 1997 at the age of 122. Ms. Cooper recalls being a vigorous tomboy in her youth, clearly a penchant for the important longevity principle of physical activity is part of her makeup. healthy diet, with a daily breakfast consisting of a bread roll, fruit and coffee.