The longevity researcher shares secrets of the ‘blue areas’ of the world

The average life expectancy in the United States is just over 78 years, but in certain countries and regions, more people reach more than 100, apparently without even trying.

What are the secrets of these pockets in the world, known as “blue areas”, where residents not only have LongevityBut more healthy years?

Dan Buettner, an author, explorer and longevity researcher with Florida headquarters who first coined the term “blue zone”, embarked on a mission to find out.

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“Only about 20% of how long you live is dictated by your genes,” Digital’s Fox News told Fox during an interview in the camera. “The other 80%, we reason that we could find among the largest populations.”

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 rates of centenarians of life.

“We verified ages and discovered that in these areas, people lived about 10 years at the middle age,” he said.

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“It is because they do not suffer the diseases that affect us, such as Type 2 diabetes. They are not dying of prematurely or dementia cardiovascular disease, and have 40% lower cancer rates. ”

Buettner and his team of demographers and researchers investigated the lifestyle and environmental characteristics in these five areas to determine what people can be doing differently.

‘The healthy choice is easy’

“The great idea we learned from blue areas is that in places where people really live more, it is not because they try,” Buettner said.

“In the United States, we tend to Search for health. We try to identify the diet or the supplement regime or the correct diet, but our brains are connected to the novelty. “

“We are constantly bombarded and cheated by new Health news And the people, and in blue areas, never tried to live long. “

The reason for this longevity, according to Buettner, is that they live in environments where the healthy choice is easy.

Nutrition and exercise

One of the characteristics that most blue areas share is their walking capacity, since people walk to work, school, houses or gardens of friends.

“They are getting 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day without thinking about it,” said Buettner.

In addition, the cheapest and most convenient foods in blue areas are not processed.

“The great idea we learned from blue areas is that in places where people really live more, it is not because they try.”

“People in blue areas too Eat healthierAs they consume mainly whole foods, unprocessed, based on plants, “Buettner said.

The average American eats about 220 pounds of meat a year, which he thinks is “too much.”

“I am not advocating a flesh -free diet, but I will tell you that people in blue areas eat about 20 pounds of meat per year, so approximately once a week as celebration food, and are receiving all the nutrients they need.”

Buettner discovered that people also eat much more fiber in these areas.

“In blue areas, the cheapest and most accessible foods were complete fiber,” he said. “They take them out of their garden … whole grains or beans are the cornerstone of each longevity diet in the world.”

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The fiber is often neglected in the American dietBuettner said, with only around 5% to 10% of Americans who receive enough.

“If you do not get enough fiber, you often work in the mucous membrane and create a certain permeable permeability or intestine, and that causes all kinds of problems,” he warned.

Passion and purpose

Studies have shown that people who wake up and have a sense of purpose, be it a duty, a passion or an exit, have greater health results.

“The purpose of the blue zone almost always includes an altruistic dimension,” Buettner shared.

“It almost always does it for the next generation, or for the community or its church. There is always some philanthropic dimension to its purpose.”

Community power

“In blue areas, we see very clearly that people connect face to face, probably five to six hours a day,” Buettner said.

People in these areas often live in extended families.

“Grandmother Never get aloneBecause he lives up and helps with the garden, “Buettner shared as an example.” Help cook food and help with children care. And children are doing better because they are improving attention. And it is this virtuous circle. “

In blue areas, people generally live in communities where they care about each other, he added.

“They are not spending almost so many Stress hormones Discuss things, and there is more time for laughter when you’re not angry. “

Faith of faith

The data show that people who regularly go to church live between four and 14 years more than people who do not, Buettner said.

“You can’t Measure faithBut you can measure religiosity, “he said.” Scientists simply ask people how often they appear in the church, the temple or the mosque, and then compare the longevity of the people who present themselves with those who do not appear at all. “

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Part of this is probably derived from the fact that parishioners have a built -in community, he said, since loneliness has proven to be “toxic.”

“Religious people They are also less likely to get involved in risky behaviors, they often have a sense of purpose, which is their faith in God, “Buettner added.

Those who worship on Sunday can also benefit from having one day a week where “everything stops.”

“Being human is inherently stressful, and the Church gives us an hour or perhaps a couple of hours in which we completely take away everyday life and problems, and we can elevate a higher plane and focus on a greater good,” Buettner said.

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The act of prayer itself could also “stack the deck” in favor of longevity and healthHe added.

“By the way, people who sing in the choir even live more,” said Beuttner. “Then, if you want a small extra bulge, join the church and sings in the choir.”

The role of sleep in health

In his visits to blue areas, Buettner discovered that residents are usually early in bed, early to rise.

“They have a bit of two sleeps, where they will go to bed shortly after sunset, and then get up at 3 or 4 am and do some tasks, and then they will sleep again until dawn,” he told Fox News Digital.

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Siesta is also very common in all blue areas.

“And some good investigations show that people who take a 20 -minute nap five -day cardiovascular disease And approximately 30% of lower rates of cardiovascular mortality, “Buettner said.” So the nap is definitely part of the blue zone approach to longevity. “

“The blue areas give us a very clear set of environmental options and factors that would help us obtain without thinking the years we deserve.”

In general, he concluded, anyone can benefit from the lessons learned from blue areas, mainly the importance of keeping healthy people first.

“It is about shaping its environment so that healthier options They are easier or inevitable and establish them for success, so they are making better decisions on a day to day or decades, “Buettner said.

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“The blue areas give us a very clear set of environmental options and factors that would help us obtain without thinking the years we deserve.”

“That is what works in all blue areas, and will unquestionably work for you, whether you live in Akron, Ohio, or New York or Los Angeles.”