By Jacqueline Simoneau
The world’s five blue zones are geographic areas with large numbers of people who live to and beyond the age of 100. Learning from their lifestyles just might help you live a longer, healthier life.
In 2000, in the province of Nuoro on the Italian island of Sardinia, Italian physician Gianni Pes and Belgian demographer Michel Poulain found a high concentration of nonagenarians and centenarians who were in excel- lent health. In some villages, one per- son in five was over 90. Using a blue- ink marker, the researchers circled the area comprising these villages on a map, creating the first “blue zone.”
Not long after, Dan Buettner, an American journalist from National Geographic, joined the team to study the phenomenon and look for other regions with similar characteristics. Since then, four new blue zones have been identified: the Japanese island of Okinawa, the Greek island of Ikaria, the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica,
and the city of Loma Linda, Calif., where there’s a community of Seventh-day Adventists who follow a meat-free, plant-based diet.
According to Dr. Martin Juneau, a cardiologist and the director of prevention at the Montreal Heart Institute, the inhabitants of blue zones not only have a life expectancy that’s around 10 years higher than the average but also live more years free of disabling chronic diseases.
While genetics has been cited as a contributing factor, it doesn’t explain everything. “Analysis of the genes involved—especially in inflammation, cancer, and heart disease—doesn’t show a significant difference,” Juneau says. “According to researchers, to live a long and healthy life, environment,
lifestyle, and diet are much more important than genetic predisposition. Moreover, studies have shown that when inhabitants of blue zones move to other countries and adopt the diet and lifestyle of the residents there, they lose their health advantage.”
Contrary to popular belief, blue zones are not alike in every way. Besides the fact that they’re scattered around the world, each zone has its own dietary habits, environment, and culture. However, researchers point to several common characteristics that seem to explain the exceptional longevity of blue-zone inhabitants:
• A plant-rich diet. In all of these populations, the diet is primarily based on plants (vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, etc.) and whole grains. In addition, food is mostly locally sourced because the zones are geographically isolated. Animal products such as meat, fish, and cheese are eaten but in small quantities. For example, Sardinians eat a meat-based meal only once a week. Also, according to Juneau, some in- habitants practise dietary restraint, which involves eating until you’re 80 per cent full at the end of a meal. Finally, they drink in moderation—mostly red wine.
• An energetic lifestyle. Inhabitants of blue zones are physically active throughout their lives.
• A strong sense of belonging. When Buettner asked a few Sardinian centenarians the reason for their exceptional longevity, a number of them mentioned the importance of family and social ties, Juneau says. Moreover, in the various blue zones, elderly people live with their families and not in retirement homes. They also emphasize the importance of giving meaning to their lives, having goals, and devel- oping a spiritual life.
Models to Emulate
Even if our Canadian lifestyle is different from that of the inhabitants of blue zones, there are still a few lessons to be learned from these places that could help improve our chances of living longer and in better health— lessons that largely echo the recommendations often issued by health professionals.
First, we could rethink our eating habits. According to a systematic review published in 2022 in Nutrients, menus that are lower in carbohydrates and high in vegetables, fruit, nuts, whole grains, fish, and unsaturated fats would reduce in particular the risk for heart disease and protect the brain from aging, says Joëlle Emond, president of Quebec’s order of dietitians and nutritionists. Next, move every day. You don’t need to run marathons— walking 7,000 to 10,000 steps daily would be great. Finally, slowing down the pace of life and maintaining a solid network of family, friends, and social contacts would help provide the best chance for a long and healthy life.
No Consensus
The longevity of blue-zone inhabitants continues to fascinate researchers. Some people are believers, while others are skeptical. Benoît Arsenault, a professor at Université Laval and a researcher at the university’s Heart and Lung Institute in Quebec City, has his doubts. “When we read the scientific literature on the subject, it be- comes clear that the level of evidence supporting the extreme longevity and lifestyles of these inhabitants is fairly slim,” he says. He also wonders about the reliability of the data about the centenarians. “Several demographers have noted an absence of birth registers in the blue zones. The high rate of centenarians could also be explained by people falsifying their age to get a pension sooner.”
Of course, the debate is far from over. While Juneau is aware that errors or fraud may have occurred, he is optimistic. “It’s not possible that the majority of blue-zone inhabitants lied about their age,” he says. “Also, many studies have shown the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. I see it in my practice. My patients who eat well, are physically active, and have a good social network live longer lives and are healthy for longer.”
The jury may still be out when it comes to blue zones, but there’s no doubt that adopting healthy habits is a winning formula.
