Yogurt or Vodka?

Claims were made earlier this year that the 'world's oldest woman' is alive and thriving in Georgia. The alleged 129-year-old, Antissa Khvichava, lives in a rural village and was shown playing backgammon and drinking vodka in television footage distributed to the international media by a Georgian broadcaster.

But considering how often claims about extraordinary longevity are made and later disproved, it comes as no surprise that some Georgian experts are now suggesting that it probably isn't true, according to an admirably sceptical report by Molly Corso on the Eurasianet website.

However, despite the official statistics on the average life expectancy in Georgia (75.3 years for women, 66.4 years for men), this region does have a reputation for human longevity - as illustrated by the advertisement above, which was filmed in 1977 for a yogurt company. Maybe a vodka manufacturer will now seek out Antissa Khvichava to make a follow-up advert promoting the virtues of a regular intake of strong alcohol...