People Routinely Live Beyond the Age of 100 in These Rare Blue Zones

By 2004, astrophysicist Michel Poulain had already changed careers and begun working as a demographer at Belgium's University of Louvain. Demographers study populations, determining their size and composition in order to predict how they will change in the future. This information is vital in determining things such as how many new kindergartens to build or how many new retirement homes are needed.

It was during 2004 that Poulain, along with Gianni Pes, a physician and epidemiologist at Italy's University of Sassari, published an article in the journal Experimental Gerontology that identified an unusual phenomenon that came to be called "Blue Zones".

What are Blue Zones?

Blue Zones are areas of the Earth where people live the longest, often reaching well beyond 100 years of age. Compare that to 73.4 years, which was the worldwide average life expectancy in 2019, according to the WHO.

Blue Zones" got their name from the color which Poulain and Pes used to highlight the first such area identified, which was located in the province of Nuoro on the Italian island of Sardinia.

In 2005, American author and National Geographic Fellow Dan Buettner wrote an article entitled "Secrets of Long Life" for the November 2005 issue of National Geographic magazine, and it became one of the best-selling issues ever. In 2006, Buettner collaborated with Michel Poulain to identify a second Blue Zone, located on the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica. By 2008, Buettner and Poulain had identified a third Blue Zone on the Greek Island of Ikaria.

That same year, Buettner published his book, The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest, and it became a New York Times Best Seller. In September 2009, Buettner gave a TED talk entitled, "How to live to be 100+" which has been viewed over two million times.

By April 2015, Buettner had identified a total of five Blue Zones around the world. They are:

• Sardinia, Italy - especially the areas of Ogliastra, Ollolai, and Barbagia of Seulo
• The islands of Okinawa, Japan
• Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
• Ikaria, Greece
• Loma Linda, California.
• Sardinia, Italy
• Sardinia, Italy. 

Sardinia is an island off the west coast of Italy. A village there, called Seulo, holds the record for being the place where people live the longest in the world. Between 1996 and 2016, there were more than 20 centenarians living there, that is, people over the age of 100. That may not seem like a lot, but the population of Seulo is only around 830.

Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica

According to a recent article on the france24.com website, in the Nicoya Peninsula, which is located in the northwest of Costa Rica, currently, 1,010 people are aged 90 or older, out of a population of around 160,000.

Loma Linda, California

Loma Linda, California is only 60 miles east of Los Angeles and is surrounded on all sides by other suburban California towns. However, residents of Loma Linda live around 10 years longer than their fellow Americans, and they have lower rates of chronic diseases, including dementia.

What is it that makes Loma Linda so different? It has a high population of Seventh Day Adventists who believe the human body to be the temple of the Holy Spirit, and that it should be protected. Seventh Day Adventists believe in a Sabbath day of rest, and they eat a plant-based diet that is rich in whole foods and avoid taking narcotics and stimulants, including alcohol and caffeinated beverages. Loma Linda residents tend to remain physically active into their 80s and 90s, and many are actively involved in their faith and the church community.

What makes Blue Zones?

When scientists examined the DNA of residents living in Blue Zones, they found nothing to indicate that it had anything to do with the residents' longevity. Rather, what set Blue Zones apart was that they were geographically isolated from the rest of the world. That meant it took longer for fast food, processed foods, and diets containing more meat to reach those areas.

In Okinawa, Japan, where the new generation has a more modern lifestyle and is eating a more Western-based diet, residents are experiencing more health problems and longevity is shortening. The conclusion Poulain and Buettner came to is that diet and exercise play a vital role in the creation of Blue Zones. On Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula, people eat primarily what they grow themselves, including beans, whole grains, vegetables, and fruit, and their diet contains very little meat.

Besides diet, scientists have identified other factors that lead to a longer life. These include:

• Having a purpose in life and goals
• Having a social support network of family and/or friends
• Reducing stress
• Stopping eating when you're 80 percent full
• Enjoying wine or alcohol moderately
• Keeping physically active.