Secrets of longevity from the world's 'blue zones'

The mean beingness expectancy successful the U.S. is conscionable implicit 78 years — but successful definite countries and regions, much radical marque it past 100, seemingly without adjacent trying.

What are the secrets of these pockets of the satellite — known arsenic "blue zones" — wherever residents person not lone much longevity, but much steadfast years?

Dan Buettner, a Florida-based author, explorer and longevity researcher who archetypal coined the word "blue zone," embarked connected a ngo to find out.

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"Only astir 20% of however agelong you unrecorded is dictated by your genes," helium told Fox News Digital during an on-camera interview. "The different 80%, we crushed we mightiness find among the longest-living populations."

Dan Buettner, a Florida-based author, explorer and longevity researcher who archetypal coined the word "blue zone," embarked connected a ngo to find the secrets of longer-living areas. (Fox News)

For the caller Netflix documentary "Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones," Buettner visited 5 destinations — Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; Nicoya, Costa Rica; and Loma Linda, California — to observe wherefore they person the highest rates of surviving centenarians.

"We verified ages and recovered that successful these areas, radical were surviving astir 10 years longer astatine mediate age," helium said.

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"It’s due to the fact that they're not suffering from the diseases that are plaguing us, similar benignant 2 diabetes. They’re not dying of cardiovascular illness prematurely, oregon dementia, and they person 40% little rates of cancer." 

Buettner and his squad of demographers and researchers investigated the manner and biology characteristics successful these 5 areas to find what radical whitethorn beryllium doing differently.

‘Healthy prime is easy’

"The large penetration we learned from bluish zones is that successful places wherever radical are really surviving longer, it's not due to the fact that they try," Buettner said. 

"In America, we thin to prosecute health. We effort to place the close fare oregon workout programme oregon supplement regimen — but our brains are hardwired for novelty."

Studies person shown that radical who aftermath up and person a consciousness of purpose, whether it’s a duty, a passionateness oregon an outlet, person greater wellness outcomes.  (iStock)

"We're perpetually bombarded and bamboozled by caller wellness quality and radical — and successful bluish zones, they ne'er tried to unrecorded a agelong time."

The crushed for this longevity, according to Buettner, is that they unrecorded successful environments wherever the steadfast prime is easy. 

Nutrition and exercise

One of the characteristics astir bluish zones stock is their walkability, arsenic radical locomotion to work, school, friends’ homes oregon gardens.

"They're getting 8,000 to 10,000 steps a time without reasoning astir it," Buettner said. 

Also, the cheapest and astir convenient foods successful bluish zones are unprocessed.

"The large penetration we learned from bluish zones is that successful places wherever radical are really surviving longer, it's not due to the fact that they try."

"People successful bluish zones besides devour healthier, arsenic they devour chiefly whole, unprocessed, plant-based foods," Buettner noted.

The mean American eats astir 220 pounds of nutrient a year, which helium believes is "too much."

"I'm not advocating a no-meat diet, but I volition archer you, radical successful bluish zones devour astir 20 pounds of nutrient a year, truthful astir erstwhile a week arsenic a celebratory nutrient — and they are getting each the nutrients they need."

One of the characteristics astir bluish zones stock is their walkability, arsenic radical locomotion to work, school, friends’ homes oregon gardens. (iStock)

People besides devour acold much fibre successful these areas, Buettner found.

"In bluish zones, the cheapest and astir accessible foods were afloat fiber," helium said. "They propulsion them retired of their plot … full grains oregon beans are the cornerstone of each longevity fare successful the world." 

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Fiber is often neglected successful the American diet, Buettner said, with lone astir 5% to 10% of Americans getting enough.

"If you don't get capable fiber, it often goes to enactment astatine the mucous membrane and creates a definite permeability oregon leaky gut, and that causes each kinds of problems," helium warned.

Passion and purpose

Studies person shown that radical who aftermath up and person a consciousness of purpose, whether it’s a duty, a passionateness oregon an outlet, person greater wellness outcomes. 

"The bluish portion intent astir ever includes an altruistic dimension," Buettner shared. 

"There's astir ever doing it for the adjacent generation, oregon for the assemblage oregon their church. There's ever immoderate philanthropic magnitude to their purpose."

Power of community

"In bluish zones, we spot precise intelligibly that radical are connecting look to face, astir apt 5 to six hours a day," Buettner said.

People successful these areas often unrecorded successful extended families. 

"People successful bluish zones devour healthier, arsenic they devour chiefly whole, unprocessed, plant-based foods." (iStock)

"Grandma ne'er gets lonely, due to the fact that she lives upstairs and helps with the garden," Buettner shared arsenic an example. "She helps navigator nutrient and she helps with childcare. And the kids bash amended due to the fact that they're getting amended attention. And it's this virtuous circle."

In bluish zones, radical typically unrecorded successful communities wherever they attraction astir each other, helium added. 

"They're not spending astir arsenic galore accent hormones arguing astir things — and there's much clip for laughter erstwhile you're not angry."

Faith factor

Data shows that radical who regularly spell to religion unrecorded anyplace from 4 to 14 years longer than radical who don't, Buettner noted.

"You can't measurement faith, but you tin measurement religiosity," helium said. "Scientists simply inquire radical however often they amusement up astatine church, temple oregon mosque, and past they comparison the longevity of the radical who amusement up to those who don't amusement up astatine all."

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Part of this apt stems from the information that churchgoers person a built-in community, helium said, arsenic loneliness has proven to beryllium "toxic."

"Religious radical are besides little apt to get progressive successful risky behaviors, and they often person a consciousness of purpose, which is their religion successful God," Buettner added. 

Data shows that radical who regularly spell to religion unrecorded anyplace from 4 to 14 years longer than radical who don't, Buettner noted. (iStock)

Those who worship connected Sunday whitethorn besides payment from having 1 time a week wherever they "stop everything."

"Being quality is inherently stressful, and religion gives america an hr oregon possibly a mates of hours wherever we afloat instrumentality the absorption disconnected of our mundane beingness and troubles, and we get to benignant of elevate to a higher level and absorption connected a greater good," Buettner said. 

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The enactment of supplication itself could besides "stack the deck" successful favour of longevity and health, helium added.

"By the way, radical who sing successful the choir really adjacent unrecorded longer," Beuttner said. "So if you privation a small other bump, articulation the religion and sing successful the choir."

Sleep's relation successful health

In his visits to bluish zones, Buettner recovered that the residents are usually aboriginal to bed, aboriginal to rise.

"They person benignant of 2 sleeps, wherever they'll spell to furniture soon aft sunset, and past get up astatine 3 oregon 4 a.m. and bash immoderate chores, and past spell backmost to slumber until sunrise," helium told Fox News Digital. 

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Napping is besides precise communal passim each bluish zones.

"And immoderate bully probe shows that radical who instrumentality a 20-minute nap 5 days a week person importantly little rates of cardiovascular illness and astir 30% little rates of cardiovascular mortality," Buettner said. "So napping is decidedly portion of the bluish portion attack to longevity."

"Blue zones springiness america a precise wide acceptable of choices and biology factors that would assistance america mindlessly get the years we deserve." 

Overall, helium concluded, anyone tin payment from the lessons learned from the bluish zones — chiefly the value of keeping radical steadfast successful the archetypal place. 

"It’s astir shaping their situation truthful that healthier choices are easier oregon unavoidable and mounting them up for success, truthful they're subconsciously making amended decisions connected a day-to-day ground for years oregon decades," Buettner said. 

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"Blue zones springiness america a precise wide acceptable of choices and biology factors that would assistance america mindlessly get the years we deserve." 

"That’s what works successful each the bluish zones, and it volition indisputably enactment for you — whether you unrecorded successful Akron, Ohio, oregon New York City oregon Los Angeles."