The average life expectancy in the US is just over 78 years, but in certain countries and regions it is past 100 and over 100 without even trying.
What is the secret behind these world pockets known as the “blue zone”? Do residents have healthier years as well as longer lives?
Florida-based author Dan Buettner, the explorer and longevity researcher who first coined the term “Blue Zone,” embarked on a mission to find it.
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“Only about 20% of how long you're determined by your genes,” he told Fox News Digital in an interview on camera. “I think the other 80% might be found among the longest living population.”
Dan Buttner, a Florida-based author and researcher of longevity, explorer who first coined the term “blue zone,” has set out on his mission to find the secrets of longer living areas. (Fox News)
For his recent Netflix documentary, “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones,” Buettner visited five destinations: Okinawa and Japan. Sardinia, Italy. Icaria, Greece. Nicoya, Costa Rica; and Loma Linda, California – discover why they have a 100-of-100 proportion.
“We tested our age and found that in these areas people live around ten years longer in middle age,” he said.
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“That's because they don't suffer from the diseases that bother us like type 2 diabetes. They're not dying from cardiovascular disease, or they have dementia, and they have 40% lower cancer rates.”
Buettner and his team of demographics and researchers investigated the lifestyle and environmental characteristics of these five disciplines to determine what people are doing.
“Healthy choices are easy.”
“The big insight we learned from the Blue Zone is that in places where people actually live longer, that's not because they're trying,” Buetner said.
“In America, we tend to pursue health. We are trying to identify the right diet or exercise program or supplement regimen, but our brains are stiffening due to novelty.”
Research has shown that people who are awake and have a sense of purpose have health outcomes, whether they are obligations, passions, or exits. (istock)
“We are constantly bombarded by new health news and people, surrounded by bamboo. And in the blue zone, they have not tried to survive for a long time.”
According to Buettner, the reason for this lifespan is because they live in an environment where healthy choices are easy.
Nutrition and exercise
One characteristic that most blue zones share is the walking ability of people as they walk towards work, school, friends' houses and gardens.
“They get 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day without thinking about it,” Buettner said.
Also, the cheapest and most convenient food in the blue zone is unprocessed.
“The big insight we learned from the Blue Zone is that in places where people actually live longer, that's not because they try.”
“People in the blue zone eat healthier as they primarily consume unprocessed, plant-based foods intact,” Buetner said.
The average American eats around 220 pounds of meat a year, but he believes it is “too much.”
“I'm not advocating for a mateless diet, but people in the Blue Zone eat about 20 pounds of meat a year, so I eat it once a week as a festive food.
One characteristic that most blue zones share is the walking ability of people as they walk towards work, school, friends' houses and gardens. (istock)
People also eat much more fiber in these areas, Buetner discovered.
“In the blue zone, the cheapest and most accessible food was complete fiber,” he said. “They pull them out of their gardens… Whole grains or beans are the cornerstones of any lifelong diet in the world.”
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Fiber is often ignored in American diets, Buetner said, but only about 5% to 10% of Americans are sufficient.
“If we don't get enough fiber, we often work on the mucous membranes, creating a certain permeable or leaky gut, causing all sorts of problems,” he warned.
Passion and purpose
Research has shown that people who are awake and have a sense of purpose have health outcomes, whether they are obligations, passions, or exits.
“The purpose of the Blue Zone almost always includes an altruistic dimension,” Buettner shared.
“Most of the time, they do it for the next generation, or for the community or the church. There's always a charity aspect to their purpose.”
The power of the community
“In the blue zone, you can see very clearly that people are probably meeting and connecting for five to six hours a day,” Buettner says.
People in these areas often live in large families.
“People in the blue zone eat healthier as they consume mostly unprocessed, plant-based foods that are completely unprocessed.” (istock)
“Grandma won't be lonely because she lives upstairs and helps out in the garden,” Buetner shared as an example. “She helps cook food, helps in raising children. And because the kids get better attention, it gets better. And that's this noble circle.”
In the blue zone, people usually live in communities that care about each other, he added.
“They don't use that much of the stress hormones they're discussing things, and when you're not mad, you're getting more laughs.”
Faith Factors
Data shows that people who go to church regularly live four to 14 years longer than those who don't, Buettner noted.
“We can't measure faith, but we can measure religion,” he said. “Scientists simply ask people how often they appear in churches, temples, or mosques, and compare the lifespans of people who appear in people who don't appear at all.”
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He said this likely stems from the fact that church people incorporate communities, as evidenced by loneliness is “toxic.”
“Religious people are also less likely to be involved in dangerous behavior, and they often have a sense of purpose, a faith in God,” added Buetner.
Data shows that people who go to church regularly live four to 14 years longer than those who don't, Buettner noted. (istock)
Those who worship on Sundays may also benefit from spending a day in a week “stop everything”;
“Being human is inherently stressful, and the church gives us an hour or several hours, fully focused on our daily lives and troubles.
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The act of prayer itself can also “laid down decks” in favor of longevity and health, he added.
“By the way, people who sing in the choir actually even live longer,” Beuttner said. “So, if you want a little extra bump, join the church and sing in the choir.”
The role of sleep in health
On a visit to the Blue Zone, Buetner found that residents usually rise early and early.
“They have two sleep. They go to sleep right after sunset. Then they wake up at 3 or 4am, do chores, then go back to sleep until sunrise,” he told Fox News Digital.
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Naps are also very common in all blue zones.
“And some good studies have shown that people who take a 20-minute nap for 5 days a week have a significantly lower incidence of cardiovascular disease and about 30% lower cardiovascular mortality,” Buettner said. “So naps are definitely part of the blue zone approach to longevity.”
“The Blue Zone gives us very clear choices and environmental factors that will help us have a suitable year.”
Overall, he concluded that everyone can benefit from the lessons they have learned from the Blue Zone. It is mainly about keeping people healthy in the first place.
“It's about shaping their environment and making healthier choices easier or inevitable and setting them up for success. So they've made better decisions on a daily basis over the years or decades,” Buetner said.
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“The Blue Zone gives us very clear choices and environmental factors that will help us have a suitable year.”
“That's what works in all the blue zones and I'll definitely work for you, whether you live in Akron, Ohio, New York City or Los Angeles.”
