107-Year-Old Man's Secret to Long Life: Whiskey Every Morning

Mariano "Pops" Rotelli thinks you ought to have a bit of whiskey every day. That's what he does and he's still alive and socializing at the unlikely age of 107.

"I've had a shot of whiskey in my coffee every morning for 100 years," he told the Newnan Times Herald at his birthday party. "I went to the doctor three times in 100 years. He's dead. I'm still living."

Rotelli, who lives in Senoia, Georgia, says there's no need to be particular about what kind of whiskey he takes. He puts the whiskey and his morning coffee and drinks whatever his son-in-law Bill Tyre brings him. It's usually Jim Beam Black, according to the Newnan Times Herald. 

“He’s never worried about anything,” said his daughter Nancy Tyre, stating exactly what you assumed.

Rotelli joins a growing chorus of people who have reached an advanced age and swear a little something to drink has helped them keep going. Grace Jones, who is 109, credits whiskey consumption for her advanced age. “I don’t drink, but I have a little drop of whiskey every night,” she says.

Then there's 103-year-old Mildred Bowers, who Thrillist wrote about previously. She has a simple bit of advice for everyone: "Have a beer."

It might not be hard science, but you should always respect your elders. So, you should probably have a drink.

Though it may be prudent to be skeptical of this wisdom. While there are some studies that suggest that moderate alcohol consumption could help best father time, there's a recent study that questions those conclusions. 

A 2016 review of 87 long-term studies by a team of researchers from the Boston University School of Public Health suggest that "a skeptical position is warranted in relation to the evidence that low-volume consumption is associated with net health benefits." But a sweeping review of studies isn't nearly as much fun as anecdotal evidence that a little whiskey in the morning is healthy. Respect your elders.

h/t Vine Pair

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