In 2010, welfare officials in Tokyo attempted to visit Sogen Kato, a man reported as the oldest resident in the Adachi district, to celebrate his 111th birthday. Despite being listed as the oldest man in the city, his family repeatedly turned away the officials, claiming he either didn’t want visitors or was on a trip five hours away.
Eventually, when the police entered his home, they discovered Kato’s mummified remains in his bed, dressed in pajamas and covered with a blanket. He had been dead for over 30 years, although his family insisted he had isolated himself in order to become a living Buddha.
Remarkably, his pension had continued to be paid, and after officials began making inquiries, someone took out 2.7 million yen, which was about $31,000 at that time.
This incident led the Japanese Ministry of Justice to investigate other centenarians, not only in Tokyo but throughout Japan, as detailed by scientist Saul Justin Newman in his book, “Morbid: Debunking Modern Longevity Science.”
Newman looks into how inaccurate age records can influence our understanding of aging, including the research behind popular Blue Zones, which promise insights into living longer. He also critiques anti-aging treatments marketed before proving their efficacy.
The audit he references identified 234,354 individuals in Japan’s family registers whose current locations were unverified, all of whom would be at least 100 years old if alive. Newman labels these individuals as either deceased or unaccounted for and suggests they constitute over 82% of the acknowledged centenarian population.
“Imagine if 82% of the stars observed by the Hubble Space Telescope turned out to be just dust on the lens,” he analogizes. “In astronomy, this would result in a scandal. In aging research, however, there was merely indifference.”
While some researchers later contended that Newman misinterpreted the audit and that only 600 people were actually missing, the author highlights a larger issue. For instance, he points out that in Greece, more than 72% of centenarians disappeared from records following the 2011 census during investigations into pension fraud. “Like Sogen Kato, these Greek centenarians were only present on pension day,” he notes.
Some families went to extremes to maintain these deceptive appearances. For example, police discovered Irma Borgoglio, reportedly 103, frozen in a kitchen, propped up by her son, who claimed she had just passed away. The chest freezer, however, indicated it had been much longer.
Even living individuals sometimes disagreed with their official ages. Adele Dunlap, a former teacher in a New Jersey nursing home, was declared America’s oldest person in 2016. However, when asked about being 113, she responded, “I’m 104.” This discrepancy raises questions about how researchers react to contradictions between personal accounts and records.
Misrecording someone’s age can also skew the insights and advice shared with everyone else. Blue Zones cookbooks and lifestyle guides feature lessons from communities where people allegedly reach the age of 100 or more. But if these ages are incorrect, Newman argues, we might be emulating lifestyles without knowing if they actually contribute to longevity.
Notably, Newman cites Japanese government data indicating that Okinawans—often highlighted as a region where longevity is common—rank highest in Kentucky Fried Chicken consumption. “The oldest residents of Okinawa also have the worst BMI in Japan,” he comments.
Additionally, while Blue Zones advocate for religious community membership, Newman points out that 93.4% of Okinawans identify as atheist. Their vegetable intake is also lacking according to these guidelines. “These patterns aren’t new,” he remarks, suggesting they really should be eating more greens.
Singapore, surprisingly, is recognized as a Blue Zone even though it deviates significantly from the characteristics of the others. The health minister noted that residents exhibit opposite traits compared to the five renowned Blue Zones, with high-stress lives and diets rich in sugar and salt. So if Singaporeans can achieve longevity while living differently, perhaps the lifestyle habits promoted in Blue Zones should be questioned.
While Blue Zones suggest moderate alcohol consumption, specifically mentioning Sardinian red wine as beneficial for longevity, Harvard researcher David Sinclair described resveratrol—found in red wine—as nearly miraculous. However, the promise of transforming it into a viable treatment has far outpaced actual evidence supporting its benefits, leading to GSK’s closure of the Cambridge facility in 2013 after acquiring Sirtris.
Newman recalls his own experiences in Oxford, where he felt isolated and pressured to refrain from criticizing the age records used for longevity studies. Eventually, he transitioned to a position in medical research at University College London.
Despite the controversies, Newman continues to explore legitimate ways to extend lifespan. He recalls a 1961 experiment involving kokanee salmon where preventing their reproductive death allowed some to live more than twice their expected lifespan. “We can double their life with scissors and stitches,” he writes, although this doesn’t offer any solution for humans. Even with their extended lifespan, many salmon fell prey to raccoons that disrupted the study.
