Longevity claims don’t often coincidence with booze, but when they do, we’re all pretty psyched to hear the news. Like when we heard about that Italian man who lived to 107 despite — or because of— drinking four bottles of red wine per day.
The liquid intake of Mildred Bowers isn’t quite as prolific, but she is celebrating her 103rd birthday this August. And among her claims to such a long, healthy life: a lifelong love of beer. At 103, that’s a lot of love. And a lot of beer.
Millie, as her friends call her, really does seem to be doing well. “My mind is good,” she said. “I have no problem with that and that’s the big thing that a lot of people my age don’t have.” A friend also chimed in that she was jealous of Millie’s skin, saying, “I’m jealous of how beautiful she looks.” (Which might support some of the claims about beer and beauty applications?)
One of Millie’s health and beauty tips? “Have a beer, doctor’s orders.” That’s what the South Carolina native told her local NBC station when it interviewed her at a restaurant where Millie’s friends had taken her for — what else —a birthday beer. Millie actually loves a brewskie so much, the nurses at her assisted living facility actually agreed to check with the doctor to see if she could have one on a daily basis. “He immediately says ‘yes,’” according to Bowers. So now, at 4 pm every day, when other residents are kicking back with cups of decaf coffee and tea, Millie Bowers is taking a sip of her daily ration of beer.
Before you go out and buy up multiple 24-packs and look into old-age retirement plans, you should know Millie’s pretty honest about that other little factor that contributes to her incredible longevity. “It’s all the genes,” she said very sweetly, much to our collective bummer.
Then again, who can say where genetic predispositions end and the beneficial impact of chilling out with a daily beer begin? Unless Millie routinely overturns walkers and chucks hard candies at everyone at the assisted living facility around 4:30 every afternoon, we’re counting this as good news in the case for a long, happy life with beer.
Header image via WISTV.com
