Have you ever heard of a blue zone? The term was coined by Dan Buettner, an award-winning journalist and National Geographic Fellow in 2004, and it relates to the blue pen he used to circle areas on a map where people in a certain location have a much longer average life span than others. Some have suggested following the health and diet advice of people who live in these blue zones could lead to a longer life.
These blue zones tend to have an unusual amount of people who live to 100, and some of the more widely recognized blue zones are Okinawa in Japan, Sardinia in Italy and Ikara in Greece. However, new research suggests that there’s little evidence that following the diet and exercise regimens of the people in these areas will help you lead a much longer life.
Debunking Blue Zone Health Habits
Research Saul Justin Newman tracked down 80 percent of the world’s supercentenarians, which are people who are aged 110 and older. During his research, he found that almost none of them have a legitimate birth certificate, and some have multiple recorded birth dates. Moreover, he found that not only is old age elevated in these blue zones, but so too is pension fraud. Newman found that most of the supercentenarians who are listed as alive in government records are actually dead.
Newman also found that most of the dietary and lifestyle claims behind the blue zone regions are not supported by independent data. While vegetables are promoted as a key component of the blue zone diet in Okinawa, the Japanese government stated that Okinawans eat the least vegetables and have the highest body mass index in Japan.
So while some may suggest that you need to follow the diet and exercise habits of people in these blue zones, it seems more likely the government needs to invest more money investigating pension fraud and cleaning up their records database. In truth, there is no highly niche diet isolated to a specific part of the world that is going to ensure you live past 100. At the most basic level, you need to make sure that you are making smart choices for your health on a regular basis. That means:
- Getting 30-45 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise 3-5 times a week.
- Eating a range of healthy foods packed with essential nutrients.
- Regularly getting at least 7 hours of restful and restorative sleep.
- Consuming 6-8 glasses of water a day.
- Avoiding unhealthy habits like smoking or excessive alcohol consumption.
- Getting regular health checkups and preventative screening exams.