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Food

104-Year-Old Woman Claims that Diet Coke Is the Secret to a Long Life

Theresa Rowley drinks a can of Diet Coke every day.
Photo via Flickr user David Mulder

If you are constantly confronted by your own mortality, terrified by impending death, then there are a few theories on how to stave off the end of consciousness as you know it. Some swear by raw eggs as a sure-fire way to slow the inevitable passage of time, others cite rosé as a magical, life-extending elixir. Many even think that bacon could be the secret for a long life, despite the, er, proven links between meat consumption and cancer.

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However, according to 104-year-old Theresa Rowley, the secret to a long life isn’t booze, bacon, or uncooked foods—it’s Diet Coke.

Speaking to local news website 11Alive, Michigan-based Rowley said that she hadn’t expected to reach such an age, but hinted that it could have something to do with the low-calorie soft drink.

"I'm surprised that I'm 104," explained Rowley, “It just doesn't seem like I should be that old.”

“When I was 100, I thought I'd never be 104; I thought I'd pass away by that time but it just didn't happen. Then I turn 101, and nothing happens.”

While shocked by her own ability not to die, Rowley seems to think that her longevity is down to her daily consumption of Diet Coke—she drinks one can every day.

“I drink it because I like it," the centenarian explained.

You do you, Theresa.