Five Cokes a day,
still going at 96?
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Ninety-six years old, and at least five cans of Coke a day. That's a long-time habit of Warren Buffett, the legendary investor. Breakfast is often McDonald's, for under three dollars. By his own account, a quarter of his daily calories come from Coke.
And if you're eyeing your own three o'clock can, you might wonder if Coke is really that bad. Let's do the math first. One can holds about forty grams of sugar. Five cans, close to two hundred. The World Health Organization advises adults to keep added sugar under about fifty grams a day. He drinks four times that.
People who drink lots of sugary drinks every day really do face a higher risk of dying early. Researchers have followed this for decades. So how is he still fine? Let's stop by a street corner first. There's an old man here who never waits for the red light. Sixty years of crossing on red, and not one accident.
Does that make red lights useless? No. The people who got hit aren't at this corner anymore. Walk by every day, and you only ever see the lucky one. Seeing only the ones who made it, never the ones who didn't. That mistake has a name: survivorship bias.
Buffett is the old man at the corner. The daily Coke drinkers who never reached ninety don't make the news. Next time you see someone who smoked, drank, and hit a hundred, you'll recognize it. Still, the old man must have something going for him. So does Buffett.
One study sought out people aged ninety-five and older. They smoked, drank, and ate carelessly about as often as everyone else. What set them apart seemed to be in their genes, a body built to take more punishment. Buffett's sister also lived to ninety-two. Money helps too. In America, the richest one percent of men live nearly fifteen years longer than the poorest one percent.
Good doctors, regular checkups, no money worries: money buys all of that. He also says he sleeps eight hours a night, and goes to work so happy he could tap dance. So Coke isn't what kept him alive. His genes, his money, and his sleep held up against all that Coke. Coke didn't stop him, but that doesn't mean it won't stop you. Every body is different, so ask your doctor for the details.
Is there an elder in your life who smoked and drank, yet lived remarkably long?
Ninety-six,
five cans a day
Warren Buffett says he drinks at least five cans of Coke a day, and that a quarter of his calories come from it. Breakfast is often McDonald's, for under three dollars.
He is 96. So maybe Coke isn't that bad?
Do the math first
One can holds about 40 grams of sugar. The World Health Organization advises adults to keep added sugar under about 50 grams a day. He drinks four times that.
People who drink lots of sugary drinks really do face a higher risk of dying early. A Harvard study followed over 100,000 people for more than 30 years.
The old man who
crossed on red
for 60 years
An old man at the corner never waits for the red light, and in sixty years he has never been hit. Does that make red lights useless? No. The people who got hit aren't at this corner anymore. Walk by every day, and you only ever see the lucky one.
Seeing only the ones who made it, never the ones who didn't. That mistake is called survivorship bias.
Where to spot it: the news story about someone who smoked, drank and turned 100; the friend whose grandpa drank every day and was fine. The one in the news is the old man at the corner. The grey figures never make the news.
But he does have
something going for him
One study sought out people aged 95 and older. They smoked, drank and ate carelessly about as often as everyone else. What set them apart seemed to be in their genes.
In America, the richest 1% of men live nearly 15 years longer than the poorest 1%. Good doctors, regular checkups and no money worries can all be bought. He also says he goes to work so happy he could tap dance.
He held up.
That doesn't mean you will.
Buffett also has a shield. Genes, money and sleep are his own shield. Every body is different. How thick yours is, ask your doctor.
Quick check
Buffett drinks Coke every day and is 96. What does that best show?
Like the old man who crossed on red for 60 years: you never see the ones who got hit, and red lights aren't what kept him safe.
