London:
A Mexican woman who is celebrating her 127th birthday today is believed to be the oldest human to have ever lived - and the secret to her long life may be chocolate and lots of sleep.
Leandra Becerra Lumbreras, from the western Mexican city of Zapopan, was born on August 31, 1887 and has lived through both world wars.
Her family says the secret to her longevity could be eating chocolate, sleeping for days on end and never getting married.
Lumbreras reportedly fought in the 1910-1917 Mexican Revolution as a leader of the 'Adelitas' - women who went with their husbands to the battle front, 'mirror.co.uk' reported.
The former seamstress has already buried her five children and several of her 20 grandchildren - the last died in 2013 aged 90.
She also has 73 great-grandchildren and 55 great-great-grandchildren. Her 43-year-old granddaughter, Miriam Alvear told Mexico's El Horizonte newspaper that Lumbreras is now deaf and suffering from cataracts but she is "entirely lucid".
"She blows your mind with her stories from the revolution. She was always a woman who fought. She was still sewing and weaving until about two years ago. She never ceased to be active, that's why we think she's lived so long," Ms Alvear said.
When asked about the secret to Lumbreras's long life, another granddaughter, Celia Hernandez, said that she sometimes sleeps for three days on end.
Lumbreras has also always enjoyed eating chocolate. "She has no diabetes or hypertension so can eat as many chocolates and sweets as she likes," Ms Hernandez said.
Japan's Misao Okawa, at 116, is currently the oldest documented living person in the world, according to the Guinness. Authorities in Mexico are currently attempting to provide a new birth certificate after Lumbreras lost her original 40 years ago.
Leandra Becerra Lumbreras, from the western Mexican city of Zapopan, was born on August 31, 1887 and has lived through both world wars.
Her family says the secret to her longevity could be eating chocolate, sleeping for days on end and never getting married.
Lumbreras reportedly fought in the 1910-1917 Mexican Revolution as a leader of the 'Adelitas' - women who went with their husbands to the battle front, 'mirror.co.uk' reported.
The former seamstress has already buried her five children and several of her 20 grandchildren - the last died in 2013 aged 90.
She also has 73 great-grandchildren and 55 great-great-grandchildren. Her 43-year-old granddaughter, Miriam Alvear told Mexico's El Horizonte newspaper that Lumbreras is now deaf and suffering from cataracts but she is "entirely lucid".
"She blows your mind with her stories from the revolution. She was always a woman who fought. She was still sewing and weaving until about two years ago. She never ceased to be active, that's why we think she's lived so long," Ms Alvear said.
When asked about the secret to Lumbreras's long life, another granddaughter, Celia Hernandez, said that she sometimes sleeps for three days on end.
Lumbreras has also always enjoyed eating chocolate. "She has no diabetes or hypertension so can eat as many chocolates and sweets as she likes," Ms Hernandez said.
Japan's Misao Okawa, at 116, is currently the oldest documented living person in the world, according to the Guinness. Authorities in Mexico are currently attempting to provide a new birth certificate after Lumbreras lost her original 40 years ago.
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