The average life expectancy in the US is just over 78 years – but in certain countries and regions more people pass 100, apparently without even trying.
What are the secrets of these bags of the world – known as “blue zones” – where residents don’t have alone LifetimeBut more healthy years?
Dan Buettner, an author -based author, explorer and lifespan researcher who first conceived the term “blue zone”, started a mission to find out.
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“Only about 20% of how long you live is determined by your genes,” he told Fox News Digital during an interview on the camera. “The other 80%, we reason that we may find one of the surviving populations.”
Dan Buettner, an author -based author, explorer and lifespan researcher who first conceived the term ‘blue zone’, started a mission to find the secrets of long -term areas. (Fox News)
For the recent Netflix -documentary “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones”, Buettner visited five destinations – Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; Nicoya, Costa Rica; And Loma Linda, California – to discover why they have the highest percentages of living centenary.
“We verified centuries and discovered that in these areas people lived about 10 years longer in middle age,” he said.
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“It’s because they don’t suffer from the diseases that bully us, like Type 2 diabetes. They do not die from cardiovascular disorders prematurely, or dementia, and they have 40% lower cancer rates. ”
Buettner and his team of demographers and researchers investigated the lifestyle and environmental properties in these five areas to determine what people can do differently.
‘Healthy choice is simple’
“The great insight that we have learned from Blue Zones is that in places where people actually live longer, it is not because they try,” Buettner said.
“In America we tend to Health. We try to identify the right diet or training program or the supplement regime – but our brains are wired for novelty. “
Studies have shown that people who wake up and have a feeling of goal, whether it is a duty, a passion or an outlet valve, have more health results. (Istock)
‘We are constantly bombed and bent by new Health news And people – and in blue zones they never tried to live long. “
The reason for this lifetime, according to Buettner, is that they live in environments where the healthy choice is easy.
Nutrition and exercise
One of the characteristics that the most blue zones share is their running, while people walk to work, school, friends or gardens.
“They get 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day without thinking about it,” said Buettner.
The cheapest and most handy foods in blue zones are also unprocessed.
“The great insight that we have learned from Blue Zones is that in places where people actually live longer, it is not because they try it.”
“People in blue zones too Eat HealthierBecause they mainly consume whole, unprocessed, vegetable foods, “Buettner noted.
The average American eats around 220 pounds a year, which he believes is ‘too much’.
“I don’t argue for a non-meat diet, but I will tell you that people in blue zones eat about 20 pounds of meat a year, so about once a week as a party food and they get all the nutrients they need.”
One of the characteristics that the most blue zones share is their running, while people walk to work, school, friends or gardens. (Istock)
People also eat much more fiber in these areas, Buettner thought.
“In blue zones were the cheapest and most accessible foods full of fiber,” he said. “They pull them out of their garden … whole grains or beans are the cornerstone of each a diet in the lifetime in the world.”
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Fibers are often neglected in the American dietSaid Buettner, with only about 5% to 10% of Americans who get enough.
“If you don’t get enough fiber, it often starts working at the mucosa and creates a certain permeability or leaking intestine, and that causes all kinds of problems,” he warned.
Passion and goal
Studies have shown that people who wake up and have a feeling of goal, whether it is a duty, a passion or an outlet valve, have more health results.
“The purpose of the blue zone almost always includes an altruistic dimension,” Buettner shared.
“There is almost always doing for the next generation, or for the community or their church. There is always a philanthropic dimension in their goal.”
Power of the community
“In blue zones we see very clearly that people connect Face -TOface, probably five to six hours a day,” said Buettner.
People in these areas often live in extensive families.
“People in blue zones eat healthier because they mainly consume whole, unprocessed, vegetable foods.” (Istock)
“Grandma never becomes lonelyBecause she lives upstairs and helps with the garden, “Buettner shared as an example.” She helps cook food and she helps with childcare. And the children do better because they get better attention. And it is this virtuous circle. “
In blue zones people usually live in communities where they give each other, he added.
‘They hardly spend that much Stress hormones A fight about things – and there is more time to laugh if you are not angry. “
Faith factor
Data shows that people who regularly go to church live somewhere from four to 14 years longer than people who don’t, Buettner noted.
“You can’t do it Meet FaithBut you can measure religiosity, “he said.” Scientists simply ask people how often they show up in the church, the temple or the mosque, and then they compare the life of the people who show up with those who do not appear at all. “
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Part of this probably stemes from the fact that churchgoers have a built -in community, he said, because loneliness has proven to be ‘toxic’.
“Religious people Are also less likely to get involved in risky behavior, and they often have a feeling of goal, which is their faith in God, “Buettner added.
Data shows that people who regularly go to church live somewhere from four to 14 years longer than people who don’t, Buettner noted. (Istock)
Those who worship on Sunday can also benefit from one day a week where they ‘stop everything’.
“Being human is inherently stressful, and the church gives us an hour or maybe a few hours where we completely take the focus of our daily lives and problems, and we can elevate a higher plane and concentrate on a larger good,” Buettner said.
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The action of the prayer itself could also “stack the deck” in favor of Lifespan and healthhe added.
“By the way, people who sing in the choir even live longer,” said Buttner. “So if you want a little extra bump, join the church and sing in the choir.”
The role of sleep in health
In his visits to blue zones, Buettner discovered that the residents are usually in bed early, to get up early.
“They have a kind of two sleep, where they go to bed shortly after sunset, and then get up at 3 or 4 hours and do some chores, and then go to sleep again until sunrise,” he told Fox News Digital.
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Nuts is also very common in all blue zones.
“And what good research shows that people who take a 20 -minute nap five days a week have a considerably lower percentages cardiovascular disorders And about 30% lower percentages of cardiovascular mortality, “said Buettner.” So naps is absolutely part of the Blue Zone approach of a long service life. “
“Blue zones give us a very clear series of choices and environmental factors that would help us get thoughtlessly the years we deserve.”
In general, he concluded, everyone can benefit from the lessons drawn from the blue zones – in the first place the importance of keeping people healthy in the first place.
“It’s about shaping their environment healthier choices Are easier or inevitable and set up for success, so they unconsciously make more decisions for years or decades, “said Buettner.
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“Blue zones give us a very clear series of choices and environmental factors that would help us get thoughtlessly the years we deserve.”
“That is what works in all blue zones, and it will work unquestionably for you – whether you live in Akron, Ohio or New York City or Los Angeles.”
