BY ALEXANDER WOODMAN M.P.H., M.SCI.
A Blue Zone is best known as a quiet and steady environmental area. Here, the population has the stable lifestyle, performs routine physical activity (in spite of age), and displays a significantly low-stress level. One can observe close family units, in these places that provide public health care for the elderly, and boasts of its intake of locally grown products. The theory of the “Blue Zones” originated through the demographic studies of its inventors Gianni-Pes and Michel Poulain in Sardinia, Italy.
The National Geographic fellow, Dan Buettner, developed this concept of “Blue Zones” with his study of five places in the world that were referred to as the “Blue Zones”: Okinawa (Japan), Sardinia (Italy), Nicoya (Costa Rica) Ikaria (Greece), and Loma Linda (California).
Okinawa, Japan, the archipelago covered with white-sand islands situated on a deep blue ocean, still has the reputation of having a population with the most enduring longevity of a millennium. Men live to about 84 years old, and women live to almost 90; in this land that is called the home of the world’s oldest women.
Sardinia (Italy) in contrast to Okinawa, is proud of its claim to house the world’s highest numbers of centenarian men. Local men are also freer of heart disease than anywhere in the world. Many say that it is a result of the unique environment and solid and unwavering lifestyle behaviors.
Nicoya, Costa Rica, has the second highest numbers of centenarian men and the lowest percentage of middle-age mortality in the world. Ikaria, Greece, keeps the secrets of the Mediterranean diet, which is thought to result in the lowest number of people with dementia. Furthermore, the country also has one of the lowest percentages of middle-age mortality. The Blue Zone Longevity Conceptual Model
Loma Linda, California, houses the largest community of Seventh-day Adventists in the United States. Their diet is plant-based, made up of nuts, whole grains, beans, and soy products. Research has shown that the residents of Loma Linda live ten years longer and have a healthier life than the average American living in the United States.
The team of scientists, led by Blue Zone researcher Dan Buettner, the author and longevity expert, came to the following conclusion about living a longer life. A long and healthy life, according to Buettner, is no accident. It begins with good genes, but it also depends on good lifestyle habits. He has led teams of researchers across the globe–from Costa Rica to Sardinia, Italy, to Okinawa, Japan and beyond–to uncover the secrets of Blue Zones. He found that the longevity is intertwined with community, lifestyle, and spirituality. People live longer and healthier by embracing a few simple but powerful habits, and by creating the right community around themselves. To build their own “Blue Zone” people can begin with their diet, where it is grown, how it was cooked, and with whom it was shared. People live longer and healthier by embracing a few powerful habits. However, the uniqueness of the Blue Zones is a combination of food, social relations, regular rituals, and physical activity. It answers the question of why a person wakes up in the morning.” Furthermore, Dan Buettner recommended that the Blue Zone areas be listed among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. He believed that this was the best way to demonstrate to the world a strong example of people who live and learn from the environment and its serenity.
