When it comes to longevity, American woman Mildred Bowers has a secret weapon: beer.

Bowers will turn 103 years old on August 31. She’s lived through both World Wars, the Great Depression, and a whopping 17 presidential administrations. She also outlived two husbands.

The secret to her success? “Have a beer,” she told a reporter who visited her for a pre-birthday tipple. “Doctor’s orders.”

Bowers – known as Millie to her friends – said she raised the idea of a daily beer with her nurses at the assisted living facility where she lives.

“They said, ‘But you know what? We’ll ask the doctor,’ so immediately he said yes,” she said. Now she cracks a cold one open every day at 4pm on the dot.

“It’s all in the genes,” Bowers said. “I feel okay because I’m in good health.”

“My mind is good. I have no problem with that and that’s the big thing that a lot of people my age don’t have at my age is a good mind.”

She said she would be happy to recommend beer to other people hoping to live for a century or more – but only if they like drinking it to begin with.

“Look, there are people who don’t like coffee and people who don’t like tea, but I want everyone to drink what they like,” she said.

Science suggests that Bowers may be onto something with her daily brewski. Beer contains vitamins, fibre and antioxidants and has antiviral properties that help combat the viruses that cause pneumonia and bronchitis. Studies have shown that moderate beer drinkers are 31 per cent less likely to suffer from heart attack, stroke or heart disease and 41 per cent less like to develop kidney stones. Male beer drinkers are less likely to develop diabetes and female beer drinkers less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis.

It also lowers the risk of dementia – something Bowers can thank it for – and contains ferulic acid that protects skin from sun damage. (“I’m jealous of her skin,” one of Bowers’ friends told the reporter. “I’m jealous of how beautiful she looks.”)

Bowers capped off her early birthday celebrations by posting her first smartphone selfie ever.