Umeno Sumiyama and Koume Kodama of Japan are the world's oldest twins. (Image credit: Guinness World Records)
According to press sources, two sisters in Japan have been named the world's oldest identical twins at 107.
According to the Associated Press, the sisters, Umeno Sumiyama and Koume Kodama, were born on November 5, 1913, making them 107 years and 300 days old. According to the Associated Press, the previous record for the world's oldest identical twins was held by Kin Narita and Gin Kanie of Japan, who were 107 years and 175 days old. (According to The Guardian, Kin Narita died in 2000 at the age of 107, and Gin Kanie died a year later at the age of 108.)
Umeno Sumiyama (left) and Koume Kodama (right) receiving their certificates from Guinness World Records. (Image credit: Guinness World Records)
Guinness World Records confirmed Sumiyama and Kodama as the oldest twins on Monday (September 20). According to the charity, the sisters lived in separate locations and were presented with their certificates by home care personnel.
According to the Associated Press, they were born into a large family on Japan's Shdoshima Island, with 11 children in total. Kodama relocated to Kyushu in southern Japan after finishing elementary school to work as a maid, but Sumiyama stayed on the island. According to the Associated Press, the couple had not seen one other in decades until they were both 70 years old when they reconnected and began conducting pilgrimages together.
According to the National Institutes of Health, genetics, environment, and lifestyle determine how long a person lives (NIH). Scientists have been studying centenarians (those who live to be 100 years old) and "supercentenarians" (people who live to be 110 years old or more) to learn more about the elements that lead to longer life spans.
Koume (left) and Umeno (right) celebrating their 99th birthday
Although the twins joked about breaking Kin and Gin's record, their family said they weren't expecting them to do so and were surprised when they did!
Umeno and Koume are currently both in different nursing facilities.
Guinness World Records could not present the twins with their official diplomas in person due to COVID-19, so they were shipped to their sisters instead.
According to the National Institutes of Health, some experts believe that lifestyle factors such as nutrition and exercise significantly impact the first 80 years of life. Genetic factors become increasingly crucial in keeping a person healthy as they age.
Variants in the ABO, CDKN2B, APOE, and SH2B3 genes have been related to extended life spans, according to earlier reports from Live Science. Centenarians have been discovered to have higher rates of these variations than those with ordinary lifespans.
According to reports, another recent study found that centenarians may have unique gut flora that aid in preventing illnesses.
In Japan, many more supercentenarian records have been set, the most notable of which are:
Tanaka Kane, the world's oldest living individual, is currently 118 years old.
Jiroemon Kimura, the world's oldest man, was born on April 19, 1897, and died on June 12, 2013, at 116 years and 54 days.
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