Does anyone actually know of anyone who had an unhealthy lifestyle but lived to a ripe old age?

Thanks everyone. really interesting replies.

Yes! My father-in-law smoked un-tipped cigarettes from the age of 14; drank goodness knows how much beer every day; ate an unhealthy diet of fried food etc … and lived to age 86. He was only unwell for the last 6 months of his life. He didn’t have a care in the world; never worried about anything; just took everything in his stride.

On the other hand, his wife (my mother-in-law) did all the worrying for him. She was permanently anxious, bless her, and died from a sudden heart attack aged 65.

Makes you wonder doesn’t it

I think a lot must be down to a person's genes, my old dad smoked 40 untipped cigs every days, liked a drink,
and was brough up on bread and dripping, but he died in his early fifties of a massive heart attack due to heart disease. His brother, my uncle, whose background was the same, died of a massive heart attack at 44.
Our next door neighbour, an old boy in his 90s boasts of a similar lifestyle but is fit as a butcher's dog, says he hasn't caught a virus or had covid for years, and is able to keep his allotment and garden in order as well as volunteering at the local hospital. His older brother is still alive and just went on a cruise!!

Oldandproud your comment about salt acting as a preservative did make me laugh😂

IMO it’s so much down to luck and genes.
Mil never smoked, hardly drank, ate healthily and was never overweight - died of cancer at 68.

Her younger brother never smoked but drank in moderation, ate healthily, never overweight, died of cancer at IIRC 66.

Their elder brother always smoked like a chimney and drank like a fish, lived well into his 80s and died of I forget what, but it wasn’t cancer.

TerriBull

Well the actress June Brown, a heavy smoker allegedly, lived to a ripe old age, mid 90s, not that I knew her. I think there are those who have bucked the trend as to being life long smokers and not dying of a cancer related death. Although I'm of the opinion smoking will get you sooner or later, and cigarettes cost a fortune now, so for those who have habit and aren't flush with funds, I'm thinking they do it at the cost of a decent diet maybe?

I knew June personally, she was a heavy smoker. However she also ate like a bird, and took up to 50 vitamin supplements per day. She did very little for herself, her life was arranged and choreographed by her adult children, one of them was even her manager so she only ever had to learn lines In the last 10 years of her life she was legally blind

My Aunt. Smoked heavily all her life, was probably alcholic in middle age, the amount she drank. Lived into her 90s, having survived breast cancer. Also worked full time all her life.

I think that generation had some healthy building blocks during WWII with rationing, that maybe set them up for the future. Some is luck and genetics as well.

I also had a friend who had the healthiest diet and lifestyle you could imagine, who died young. But anyone can get cancer.

I used to know someone who’d always smoked and died in her sleep - no illness - at 94. She had briefly been in hospital a few months previously, I forget why, but before that had only ever been in hospital once, because of malaria, while serving in Italy during WW2!

When I was a teenager and first started going in our village pub there was a married couple who had their own places at the bar where they sat every night of the week, drinking and chain smoking. Apparently they had done that all their lives and were then in their 90s.

My Mum smoked from the age 14 to 84 when she died. But the last 20 or so years she was not healthy. She had a triple heart bypass and valve replacement at 64. She also suffered from COPD and the last 8 years she had an oxygen machine and couldn’t walk far. Apart from that she was never overweight, ate very healthily, took lots of supplements. She loved clothes and was always dressed very smart, always wore heels and impeccable accessories.
Sad that without smoking she could have been much more active.

My Father died comparatively young, 49, he had cancer.
His mother and five sisters all lived long healthy lives ,two into their nineties.
My mother lived to 101 and her three brothers and one sister all lived to 80+ or ninety.
The brothers all smoked and enjoyed a drink although I don’t think to excess but I don’t really know.
They were all miners so worked very hard in a dirty job.

My dear Dad died two years ago at the grand age of 96, he loved his whiskey and a lager at lunchtime but never ever ate fruit, vegetables or salad. He was a total carnivore with a few potatoes, no dementia and only ill for four days at the end. He still lived independently and cooked and baked for himself.
He confounded the gp but his lifestyle suited him.

A Swedish friend’s dad was over 90 when he died, and from all I gather had basically lived on Swedish meatballs and potatoes - no vegetables - for years. Mind you my Swedish friend is no fan of veg either, esp. green veg. Very keen though on cream in absolutely everything,, cheese, ham, and eggs.

My father Inlaw. He doesn't smoke obsessively, I suppose 3 or 4 roll ups a day. He still going strong, and is approaching his 90th birthday. He always travels around the country in his caravan, despite having his own house. Unfortunately, my mil never smoke, always kept active, never ate rubbish, drank or did drugs a died of cancer in her 79's poor girl. I don't get it!.x

My mum did the same. She smoked from a young age when it was trendy to do so, and harmful smoking information was not available to her generation. She diied aged approximately 76. She had heart and lung condition, diabetes and partial blindness.The last years of her life is tumultuous. We all had to make sure she didn't get hold of a cigarette again, but she always woke up first thing in the morning and said "ooh I'd love a fag".

PPs keep mentioning butter like it’s a terrible food. We now know that trans fats in margarine and spreads are the problem. Natural foods such as butter are not the problem. It’s the amount we eat. Used sparingly, butter is better than using spreads containing trans fats.

My former MIL’s heavy smoking redecorated her home tar-stain yellow. She died at 96.

I think your life is mapped out for you the min you are born so whatever happens it was meant to be, some people smoke drink take recreational drugs live for a very long time others that try to live a healthy lifestyle can die early, rather than focus on anything like that as it’s swings and roundabouts for me I just wake up do the best I can each day and thank my lucky stars I’m still here

My grandmother smoked Woodbines and had a bottle of Guiness a day as recommended by her gp and lived to a ripe old age. Cancer (not lungs) got her in the end but was not related to her lifestyle.
She lived alone, ran a boarding house until she was quite old and kept active. I think activity (body and mind) is the answer.

Hi
My mother’s brother Asher: caught Polio when he was 2, lived in the East End of London. My grandfather died at 38 leaving my grandma with 3 young children. In those days it was just the start of the NHS. There were no social benefits. The family clubbed together and got my grandma a bric à brac stall. Life was very hard.
Back to my uncle, he came out of a mental institution (there were no homes for physically disabled in those days, so they were put in with mentally sick! He was in Caterham. It became too much for my grandma so she brought Asher home. He only ever ate baked beans, fish fingers and a lentil & sausage soup my grandmother used to make !
He lived through 3 mugging, where the evil scum took his callipers away! He lived in awful times (almost Dickensian) but lived until 86!!!!
My amazing uncle Asher. No education, taught himself to read & write! Taught himself to repair radios, taught himself to play the accordion!
My amazing uncle Asher

My lovely mum lived to 92 she smoked and drank half a bottle of wine a day up until she went in a care home after a fall at 89. She brought the three of us up on her own from 6,9 and 13 years old being widowed at 40 . So we never begrudged her little indulgences.

A definite yes from me - my grandad! He lived until his mid 90's and seemed to live more or less on Players full strength cigarettes, cans of Newcastle Brown ale and occasionally bread and cheese. He was a real old country boy.

That's a triumph over adversity.

My mother in law is 94 and thriving. Drinker , smoker, loads of salt and addicted to cakes !!!

Most of life is uncertain and health is at least partly about tipping the odds in your favour by living in a healthy way. But there are no guarantees and some people live unhealthily and still live a long time. It is still a good idea to live in a healthy way - it feels good and does tip the scales towards a longer healthier life.