Growing Old Gracefully

Aging Myth: Remember those long-lived Russians from the Dannon yogurt commercials? A researcher on aging gives us the skinny:

Q. Did you consider doing your study in the Central Asian Georgia, the reputed homeland of the yogurt-eating-apricot-munching long-lived?

A. No. We think that claim may be inaccurate. There may be a history of people there exaggerating their longevity because Stalin, who was Georgian, wanted it known that Georgians were long-lived. Under Communism, people were exaggerating their age, bringing in their grandparents' identity cards when dealing with officials.