(Photo credit: Twitter)
As we get older, people are always trying to figure out what keeps them alive for so long, especially those who live for a long time. The older you get, the more memberships you get: you get entered into the 50-and over club” or the “75 and older club”.
Well, last year, during the beginning of the COVID lockdown measures, Texas born Melvin Campbell became a member of another club: being a supercentenarian. That’s a person who is significantly older than 100 years of age, typically one who has reached the age of 110.
“We had a big celebration planned for his 110th birthday,” said Robert Campbell, Melvin Campbell’s son. “That was just about the time COVID hit so everything got canceled.”
This week was Melvin Campbell’s 111th birthday. According to the news station, KHOU, a few friends and family gathered outside his nursing home in La Marque to celebrate Melvin’s wonderful life. A local state representative even sent him a certificate to commemorate this big day.
Melvin says he gave up drinking and joined the church. His son says he never took another drink.
“He put garlic pods in his water and then he would drink that,” said Robert. “It kept his blood pressure down.”
And Robert is right. Garlic has so many health benefits including acting like over-the-counter medication.
Throughout ancient history, the main use of garlic was for its health and medicinal properties.
Its use was well documented by many major civilizations, including the Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans and Chinese.
Human studies have found garlic supplements to have a significant impact on reducing blood pressure in people with high blood pressure. In one study, 600–1,500 mg of aged garlic extract was just as effective as the drug Atenolol at reducing blood pressure over a 24-week period.
Garlic can also lower total and LDL cholesterol.
Scientists now know that most of its health benefits are caused by sulfur compounds formed when a garlic clove is chopped, crushed or chewed.
Perhaps the most famous of those compounds is known as allicin. Allicin has been found to reduce inflammation and give great antioxidant benefits. You can tap into these benefits by eating fresh garlic after it’s been cut or crushed.
The sulfur compounds from garlic enter the body from the digestive tract and travel all over the body, where it exerts its potent biological effects.
One large, 12-week study found that a daily garlic supplement reduced the number of colds by 63% compared to a placebo. The average length of cold symptoms was also reduced by 70%, from 5 days in the placebo group to just 1.5 days in the garlic group.
Another study found that a high dose of aged garlic extract (2.56 grams per day) reduced the number of days sick with cold or flu by 61%.
Campbell was born as one of 15 children raised on a Bay City cotton farm. He worked on loading and unloading of ships docked in Galveston, TX. He had at least one child, a son.
Five of his siblings lived into their 90s, including his youngest brother, Hurbert, who was alive in March 2018 at the age of 98. He lived on his own up until 2017. He said he credits his long life to his choices.
Campbell currently lives in Galveston, Texas, United States.
Melvin drove until he was 107 years old. And longevity must in the genes. He has two living siblings — One is 101-years-old the other is 88!
Melvin’s family believes his big smile and cool demeanor are the true secrets to living a long and happy life.
Long live Melvin and his family!
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