112-year-old Nepalese woman claims her longevity comes from smoking 30 cigarettes a day

A 112-year-old Nepalese woman claims she smokes 30 cigarettes in a day and started the habit when she was just 17 years old. Batuli Lamichhane said chain smoking has helped her outlive almost everyone in her entire village and her own children.

"People of this modern age have too much stress. And those who do not work or are idle in their old age won't live long. So you have to be active and stress-free," Lamichhane told Metro News. "You should always be happy, then you will live a long life," she said. Lamichhane still does her own chores.

"I don't really care how old I am. But I am old nonetheless. I have seen a lot of things change during my lifetime," she said. Lamichhane, who has been smoking cigarettes for over 95 years, said "there is nothing wrong with smoking" but "commercially-made" cigarettes should be avoided. She recommends locally-made cigarettes called beedis made from wrapped tendu leaf.

Lamichhane's husband left for India eight decades ago to seek employment. Since then she has not heard from him. Her eldest son is 85 years old, while her other four sons have died.

She is not willing to relocate even though the roof of her home caved in when the disastrous earthquake shook Nepal in April 2015. Currently she lives with relatives and off donations from a local Hindu temple. She was born in March 1903.