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From Now on in Italy, You’re Only Old After 75

There is no denying that Italians know how to live healthy, long lives. Thus, the country is now redefining what it means to be "elderly".

Fresh food, olive oil, and long walks are just several of the factors that affect their lifespans.

Niccolò Marchionni, a professor of gerontology at the University of Florence explained, “A 65-year-old today has the physical and cognitive capacity of a 40 to 45-year-old 30 years ago. And a 75-year-old has that of a 55-year-old in 1980.”

Image by:: Jean Bajean/Flickr 

Marchionni  spoke at the national congress of the Italian Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics and explained that the association would now reconsider what it means to be “elderly” in Italy.

“A large part of the population between 60 and 75-years-old is in excellent shape and free of diseases due to the delayed effect of the development of diseases and the age of death,” explained Marchionni.

As the average age of death is increasing in Italy, the term “elderly” cannot continue to apply to the same age-group.

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