Blue Zones: lessons from the world’s longevity hotspots
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Key points
- Five Blue Zones: Sardinia, Okinawa, Nicoya, Ikaria and Loma Linda, California.
- California Adventists lived on average 7.3 (men) and 4.4 (women) years longer.
- Vegetarians in Adventist Health Study 2 had 12% lower mortality.
- Some age data from longevity regions have been questioned, so conclusions need caution.
Where Blue Zones came from
The term emerged from demographic research in Sardinia, where scientists marked villages with exceptional longevity in blue ink on a map (Poulain et al., 2004). Writer Dan Buettner, working with National Geographic and researchers, later identified five such regions.
The five regions
- Sardinia, Italy: mountain villages with many male centenarians.
- Okinawa, Japan: one of the longest-lived populations of women.
- Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica.
- Ikaria, Greece.
- Loma Linda, California: a community of Seventh-day Adventists.
Nine shared habits (“Power 9”)
Buettner and Skemp (2016) describe nine common habits: natural movement throughout the day, a sense of purpose, routines to shed stress, eating until about 80% full, a mostly plant-based diet, moderate wine in some regions (not among Adventists), belonging to a faith community, putting family first and social circles that support healthy behaviors.
What research confirms
Adventists. California Seventh-day Adventists lived on average 7.3 years longer (men) and 4.4 years longer (women) than other Californians, with vegetarian diet, exercise, nut consumption and not smoking contributing (Fraser & Shavlik, 2001).
Vegetarian diets. In Adventist Health Study 2, with more than 70,000 participants, vegetarians had 12% lower all-cause mortality than non-vegetarians (Orlich et al., 2013).
Criticism
Some researchers argue that age records in certain longevity regions are unreliable. And even accurate observational data show associations, not cause. The habits themselves, though, align well with the evidence on lifestyle medicine.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Blue Zone in the U.S.?
Yes: the Seventh-day Adventist community of Loma Linda, California, which emphasizes a plant-based diet, no smoking or alcohol, exercise and a weekly day of rest and community.
Can a town become a Blue Zone?
Several U.S. communities have run "Blue Zones Projects" to make healthy choices easier, though rigorous evaluations are limited.
Sources
- Buettner et al. (2016). Blue Zones. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine 10(5):318-321. doi:10.1177/1559827616637066
- Poulain et al. (2004). Identification of a geographic area characterized by extreme longevity in the Sardinia island: the AKEA study. Experimental Gerontology 39(9):1423-1429. doi:10.1016/j.exger.2004.06.016
- Fraser et al. (2001). Ten Years of Life. Archives of Internal Medicine 161(13):1645. doi:10.1001/archinte.161.13.1645
- Orlich et al. (2013). Vegetarian Dietary Patterns and Mortality in Adventist Health Study 2. JAMA Internal Medicine 173(13):1230. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.6473
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