<p>Lima: Peru's Andean mountains may hold the secret to longevity and the world's oldest ever person, if a new claim by state officials of a 124-year-old man born in 1900 are proven to be true.</p><p>The country's government has claimed that local resident Marcelino Abad from the central Peruvian region of Huanuco is 124, which would make him by a distance the oldest living person and even top the oldest ever independently verified human.</p><p>"Among the tranquility of the flora and fauna of Huanuco, Marcelino Abad Tolentino or 'Mashico' developed a healthy way of life and inner peace, reflected in his good health and friendly personality," the government said in a statement.</p>.<p>"This allowed him, with resilience and skill, to overcome 12 decades of life and on April 5th he just blew out 124 candles."</p><p>Peruvian authorities say they are helping Abad apply to the Guinness World Records for independent verification.</p><p>"Guinness World Records receives many applications from individuals who claim to be the oldest living person," a spokesperson for the body said in a written statement to Reuters.</p><p>Verifying the claim would involve official documents and other evidence being scrutinized by an expert team to "prove their achievement beyond doubt."</p><p>The Guinness World Records currently lists the oldest living man as a 111-year-old Briton who got the title this month after the death of a Venezuelan man who was 114. The oldest living woman is 117, while the oldest person ever verified reached 122.</p>.India's oldest Test cricketer Dattajirao Gaekwad passes away at 95.<p>Abad, who was born in the small town of Chaglla, has lived off the radar until the Peruvian government identified him in 2019, securing him a government ID and pension.</p><p>Celebrating his 124th birthday on April 5, Abad says his secrets to vitality include a diet rich in fruits, as well in lamb meat, according to a statement issued by the pension program that Abad is part of.</p><p>The centenarian also made a habit of chewing coca leaves, a tradition in Peru's Andean communities.</p><p>Abad now lives in a home for seniors, where for his birthday this month he was treated to a special celebration, complete with a birthday cake with a figurine in his likeness</p>
<p>Lima: Peru's Andean mountains may hold the secret to longevity and the world's oldest ever person, if a new claim by state officials of a 124-year-old man born in 1900 are proven to be true.</p><p>The country's government has claimed that local resident Marcelino Abad from the central Peruvian region of Huanuco is 124, which would make him by a distance the oldest living person and even top the oldest ever independently verified human.</p><p>"Among the tranquility of the flora and fauna of Huanuco, Marcelino Abad Tolentino or 'Mashico' developed a healthy way of life and inner peace, reflected in his good health and friendly personality," the government said in a statement.</p>.<p>"This allowed him, with resilience and skill, to overcome 12 decades of life and on April 5th he just blew out 124 candles."</p><p>Peruvian authorities say they are helping Abad apply to the Guinness World Records for independent verification.</p><p>"Guinness World Records receives many applications from individuals who claim to be the oldest living person," a spokesperson for the body said in a written statement to Reuters.</p><p>Verifying the claim would involve official documents and other evidence being scrutinized by an expert team to "prove their achievement beyond doubt."</p><p>The Guinness World Records currently lists the oldest living man as a 111-year-old Briton who got the title this month after the death of a Venezuelan man who was 114. The oldest living woman is 117, while the oldest person ever verified reached 122.</p>.India's oldest Test cricketer Dattajirao Gaekwad passes away at 95.<p>Abad, who was born in the small town of Chaglla, has lived off the radar until the Peruvian government identified him in 2019, securing him a government ID and pension.</p><p>Celebrating his 124th birthday on April 5, Abad says his secrets to vitality include a diet rich in fruits, as well in lamb meat, according to a statement issued by the pension program that Abad is part of.</p><p>The centenarian also made a habit of chewing coca leaves, a tradition in Peru's Andean communities.</p><p>Abad now lives in a home for seniors, where for his birthday this month he was treated to a special celebration, complete with a birthday cake with a figurine in his likeness</p>