We’ve met the remarkable Susannah Mushatt Jones before, when she was quoted as saying that ‘sleep’ was the key to her longevity. But as she turned 116 on July 7th, and remained the world’s oldest woman, she apparently told a reporter that there was another factor: bacon.

Every morning, it’s reported, she has four rashers of bacon with eggs and a sign in her kitchen says: “Bacon makes everything better.”

So –  assuming she really did say it – is that the secret of a life that started in Alabama as one of 12 children picking crops, before moving to New York as a nanny?

Plausibility rating: 2 out of 10. Let’s be honest, bacon really is not the key. In fact there’s research to suggest that processed meats like bacon are actually a risk factor for longer life, not a likely way of achieving it. Most recently the World Health Organisation advised that 50g of processed meat daily was enough to increase the risk of colorectal cancer by 18 percent. That’s half of what Susannah’s been eating every day.

All in all, if you want to take Susannah’s advise her original ‘secret’ – sleep – is probably a better bet.

photo credit: latest bacon breakfast via photopin All rights reserved by the author