It is hard to believe, but by 2030 more people worldwide will die of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and Sarcopenia (from the Greek, meaning “poverty of flesh”) than old age!
Most of the gains we’ve made toward living to an advanced age are related to improvements in hygiene, nutrition, antibiotics, surgical advances, and new drugs. But the greatest contributors to successful aging center on interactions with one’s environment and and how one chooses to live on a day-to-day basis.
This includes such factors as:
- quality and quantity of food consumed;
- exposure to radiation;
- exposure to pollutants;
- air and water quality;
- levels and amounts of physical activity;
- sleep quality and quantity;
- who you hang out with (i.e., your “tribe”);
- levels of optimism, happiness, and peace of mind; and
- how long and healthy you “think” you will live.
Secrets to a long and healthy life
Through the years researchers have sought to identify a demographic and/or geographic area where people live measurably longer lives. But reports of exceedingly long-lived healthy people prove elusive to verify and, when identified, usually include only a few people. One of the more interesting research studies in the area was reported by National Geographic explorer Dan Buettner who traveled the globe to discover pockets of people with the highest life expectancy, or with the highest proportions of people who live well into their 10th decade of life, or longer. He called these places “Blue Zones.”
Buettner’s book The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest explores the secrets of long-lived healthy people and introduces the reader to the joy in aging . . . which is good news for those of us who have lived more than half of our natural lifespan!
Who are the longest-lived people?
Buettner, working with a team of demographers, anthropologists, and epidemiologists, identified five geographic populations that classify as true Blue Zones:
- The Barbagia region of Sardinia—Mountainous highlands of inner Sardinia with the world’s highest concentration of male centenarians.
- Okinawa, Japan—Females over 70 are the longest-lived population in the world.
- Ikaria, Greece—Aegean island with one of the world’s lowest rates of middle-age mortality and the lowest rates of dementia.
- Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica—World’s lowest rates of middle-age mortality and second-highest concentration of male centenarians.
- Seventh-day Adventists—Highest concentration living around Loma Linda, Calif. They live 10 years longer than their North American counterparts.
Characteristics of the longest-lived people
While people living in each of the above Blue Zones live and practice a lifestyle unique to their geography (and genetic ancestry), they also share common lifestyle characteristics that researchers know promote healthy longevity.
Sardinia, a Mediterranean island 120 miles off the coast of Italy, is home to shepherds who pasture their sheep across rugged, mountainous terrain. Sardinians have an intense dedication to family and community (probably due to the many times they have been invaded and occupied). It seems like all Sardinians maintain a positive attitude toward elders and have a strong sense of belonging to the earth. They also possess a keen sense of humor that probably is responsible for low rates of anxiety and stress. Sardinians consume milk and cheese from goats that feed on dwarf curry, a plant with known anti-inflammatory properties. They favor dark red wine and eat mostly a plant-based diet with fava beans, barley, and lots of vegetables grown in their own gardens. In addition they walk everywhere, starting at an early age.
Okinawa is a Pacific archipelago 360 miles off the coast of Japan. Like Sardinia, Okinawa has been invaded several times. The people are fiercely independent and loyal, with strong family attachments and many long-time friends. Okinawans grow up with a tangible sense of purpose, called ikigai; this starts from an early age and gives meaning to their life and work. Until the recent advent of f