Colombian Woman Claims She Is The Oldest Living Person and Credits Green Plantains
María Antonia Cuero’s identification says she was born on October 18, 1901, making her 124 years old. Born and raised in Colombia, the woman born before World War I credits her longevity to two specific foods. Spoiler alert: neither of them is steamed broccoli or salad. The abuelita is giving credit to her regular exercising and eating fish and green plantains for her longevity.
María Antonia Cuero claims to be the oldest person to ever live thanks to green plantains
María Antonia Cuero is more than just a Colombian abuelita. She and those around her claim that she is the oldest person to ever live. Guinness World Records currently names Jeanne Calment, who lived to be 122, as the oldest person to have ever lived. Calment died in 1997, having been born in 1875.
She doesn’t credit her longevity to any health fads or intense fitness routines. Antonia Cuero largely credits her longevity to eating two specific foods: fish and green plantains. According to interviews, Antonia Cueroa says that she grew up in a large family in Mayorquín, Buenaventura, Colombia. Being in a coastal community meant that fish was a major part of the diet and she was still fishing for herself until recently.
Her other special dish that she thinks helped her live so long is eating two boiled green plantains a day. Unfortunately, for all the lovers of patacones and tostones, the fried option doesn’t seem to be the best way to live longer. However, the good news is that someone is claiming that the green plantains we love might be a superfood.
We already know that plantains are a great source of fiber, potassium, and vitamins C and B6. Those help with digestion, blood pressure, mood, and immunity, respectively. Now, a Colombian woman is giving it even more praise and attention.
She credits her long life expectancy to eating two foods
The average life expectancy of a person living in Colombia is 77.9 years. This is higher than the average life expectancy in the Region of the Americas, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Additionally, Colombia’s life expectancy increased by 7 years between 2000 and 2024.
For comparison, the life expectancy in the United States is 79.5 years. While it is higher than the average for the region, it is a 2.4-year increase between 2000 and 2024.
Antonia Cuero, if her claim is authenticated, would be an incredible achievement. Colombia is not in a blue zone, which are places in the world with higher than average life expectancies. These places include Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Icaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California. Residents in those places in the world routinely live into their 90s and have lower rates of cancer and other health ailments.
Antonia Cuero is in the process of proving her age in her pursuit of the world record. Along with her official identification, she has to show other forms of proof that she is indeed the age she claims to be. This includes other birth documents.
Low-key, we are wishing her the best. Like, why shouldn’t the oldest person to ever live not come from Latin America? Why shouldn’t plantains get a little more love in the process?
