1. Smoking for Most of Her Life
Calment smoked cigarettes for much of her life, beginning at age 21 after her husband offered her a cigarette. She continued smoking — often after meals — until around age 117. Even then she quit not due to health issues but because her eyesight had deteriorated to the point where she could barely light a cigarette.
Notably, some sources suggest she primarily smoked casually and often only one or two cigarettes per day, especially in later years, but this still amounts to an extraordinary lifelong habit.
2. Daily Port Wine and a Sweet Tooth
Calment enjoyed wine — typically a small glass of port with her meals — and chocolate. She reportedly consumed up to a kilogram (around two pounds) of chocolate each week at various points in her life.
She also adored desserts and indulged in them after every meal. Other indulgences included rich or fried foods, which she preferred over the lighter fare offered in institutional settings like nursing home meals.
These are habits that nutrition experts today would likely advise against for optimal cardiometabolic health, blood sugar regulation, and weight control. Yet despite this, Calment remained almost miraculously well into advanced age.
Daily Life, Routine, and Personality
Jeanne Calment’s life was not just about indulgence — she also kept routines and engaged in daily activities that may have contributed to her well‑being.
She maintained a structured day well into her old age:
She prepared fruit salads and coffee for breakfast.
Calment took naps after lunch and engaged in light physical activity, including armchair exercises.
Even into her 90s, she rode a bicycle and remained physically active.
At night she typically went to bed at a consistent time — around 10 p.m.
Her personality — wry, witty, and self‑aware — also defined her later years. When asked jokingly what future she expected in her final years, she simply replied, “A very short one.”
Health and Medical History
Despite her cigarette and wine habits, Calment did not report major chronic diseases until very late in life:
Her first serious medical treatment for heart failure did not occur until she was 111 — a time when most centenarians have significantly more health complications.
She suffered from arthropathy — a joint condition similar to arthritis — which was treated successfully with medication.
She had cataracts early in life and later became nearly blind and deaf in her final years, though she remained mentally sharp almost until her passing.
Later Years and Legacy
Jeanne Calment withdrew from independent living at age 110 after a cooking accident caused by poor eyesight. She voluntarily moved into a nursing home but continued to manage much of her own life, maintaining routines, social interactions, and mental engagement.
She attracted global media attention during the 1990s, becoming the oldest person ever to appear in a film at age 114.
At age 120, she achieved the title of the oldest person ever verified by Guinness World Records. She held that title unequivocally until her death in 1997.
What Experts Say: Genetics, Environment, and Chance
Scientists who study aging do not point to smoking, wine, or chocolate as causes for Jeanne Calment’s extraordinary lifespan. Instead, her case is usually seen as a rare outlier — an exceptional instance of human longevity that defies simple explanation.
Researchers emphasize several contributing factors:
1. Genetics
Longevity often runs in families. While none of Calment’s direct descendants matched her lifespan, genetic factors likely played a foundational role in her ability to resist many age‑related diseases long into old age.
2. Socioeconomic Status
Her comfortable upbringing and lifelong financial stability meant she had access to good nutrition, medical care, and low stress — all factors correlated with longer life expectancy.
3. Active Lifestyle and Social Engagement
Calment’s daily routines, mental engagement, and social life kept her connected and mentally sharp — factors gerontologists associate with healthier aging.
4. Attitude and Stress Management
Calment was known for her calm outlook and humor. While attitude alone does not determine lifespan, low stress and high psychological resilience are associated with better long‑term health outcomes.
Despite this, scientists are careful to stress that Calment’s case should not be viewed as a “how‑to” guide for longevity; rather, it highlights the incredible complexity and variability of human aging.
Controversies and Verification
Some researchers have questioned the authenticity of Jeanne Calment’s age, suggesting alternate explanations such as potential identity confusion with relatives. However, the majority of demographic evidence — including birth records, census data, and validation by multiple independent organizations — supports her documented age. Her case remains the most thoroughly verified supercentenarian record on Earth.
Legacy: More Than a Record
Jeanne Calment’s story transcends a mere longevity record. It offers a window into:
The lived experience of a woman who spanned two world wars and three centuries.
How individual lifestyle, genetics, environment, and chance interact in ways modern science still struggles to fully explain.
The unpredictability of aging and human biology.
Whether she is an inspiration, a curiosity, or a scientific anomaly, Jeanne Calment remains perhaps the most fascinating case in the study of aging. Her life — complete with wine, cigarettes, chocolate, and a resilient spirit — reminds us that longevity is human, variable, and often astonishing.
