A Dr Pepper a day keeps the doctor away? That seems to be the case with Elizabeth Sullivan, a Texas woman who turned 104 years old on Mar. 18. She credits drinking three cans of Dr Pepper daily as a key to her longevity.
Sullivan is a retired math teacher in Fort Worth. Although she uses a cane to walk around, she still resides in her own house.
Dr Pepper was the U.S.'s first producer of soft drink concentrates and syrups. It has been selling its unique soft drinks since 1885 in Waco, Texas.
The inventor was likely Charles Alderton, a pharmacist who served carbonated drinks at his drugstore's soda fountain during his down time. Alderton's goal was to create a drink that smelled like the various fruit syrup flavors there. The origin of the name "Dr. Pepper" (with the period) is unclear.
One of the first slogans of Dr. Pepper encouraged people to drink at "10, 2, and 4," according to Huffington Post. The reason is that some people's energy levels dipped at 10:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Sullivan's daily three-can consumption of Dr Pepper seems to take the advice as if it were an order from an actual doctor. In fact, while people "try to give" her coffee in the morning, she prefers to drink a Dr. Pepper, according to Christian Science Monitor.
On her 104th birthday, Sullivan received a cake shaped like-you guessed it--a Dr Pepper can, lots of cans of her favorite beverage, and a gift basket from the Dr Pepper Snapple Group's CEO.
Last year on her 103rd birthday Sullivan told a local newspaper that she started enjoying life more when she turned 90 years old. She could drive, play bridge, and travel abroad whenever she wanted to.
Sullivan shared that her doctors always say that drinking Dr Pepper is deadly. However, she believes that they are mistaken because she observed that they pass away but "I don't."
The retired schoolteacher only takes one pill of prescription medications a day. It is likely that she takes a sip of her favorite soda, rather than water, to swallow the tablet.