BANGKOK: Avoiding fatty food, going easy on the carbohydrates and not taking too much sugar are Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s secret for his longevity.

The Prime Minister, who is here to attend the 35th Asean Summit, was again asked on his secret for looking youthful during a dialogue at the Asean Business and Investment Summit yesterday.

The moderator Arin Jira, who is Thai Asean Business Advisory Council chairman, had asked what Dr Mahathir ate to keep his mind sharp.

The Prime Minister quipped that he did not know how he had survived for so long but admitted that he was lucky not to suffer from any debilitating disease.

He insisted that while there was no secret, there was a need to be disciplined with one’s eating habits.

“Don’t eat fatty food, too much carbohydrate and sugar. You need to be active, exercise your body and muscles must be used or they will become weaker.

“Active means (using) the whole system and use the brain to talk, argue, debate - all this will activate the brain so that it will function well.

“If you don’t, especially after you retire, and you tend to rest and sleep, the brain and body will lose their capacity and the organs will deteriorate, ” he said.

Dr Mahathir, who is 94, said since so many people had asked him the same question, he would consider writing on the subject.

“What I did was I observe what happens to me and other people and I make my own conclusion. (It’s) not very scientific, not proven, not tested but this is what I observe of the life I have had, ” he said.