Have you heard about the so-called Blue Zones? These are the areas of the globe that purportedly offer their residents the longest, healthiest lives. We even wrote about the Blue Zones back in late 2021 here on the Blog. Researchers have clamored to figure out what these mysterious locales – from the Mediterranean to Okinawa to Central America – had in common.  

What, these experts wondered, can the Blue Zones teach us? Well, based on this article from The Guardian, it turns out that the answer is – not much. Or at least not much beyond the obvious. 

The article, written by reporter Melissa Davey, first appeared last October in The Guardian’s Australian edition, but it’s new to us, and we wanted to share Davey’s provocative findings with our readers on the Blog. The bad news, if we can call it that, is that there’s no fountain of youth waiting for us in Sardinia or Costa Rica: as it turns out, much of the data on the Blue Zones has been over-hyped.  

But the good news is, researchers know what it takes to improve the odds of healthy longevity. And we don’t even have to leave home! Let’s see what Davey has to share with us. 

Do People Really Live Decades Longer in “Blue Zones”? 

Davey begins, “There is a whole body of scientific research dedicated to uncovering the lifestyles of people living in Blue Zones – areas of the globe where a higher proportion of people seem to live exceptionally long lives beyond the age of 100.” 

According to many sources, these seven “Blue Zone” regions, ranging from Okinawa in Japan to Sardinia in the Mediterranean, have become famous world-wide and have inspired countless books, documentaries, diets, and blog posts from “wellness coaches,” all with the goal of figuring out why the people in these places live for so many years.  

Is it Unusual Longevity – or Merely Bad Record-Keeping? 

Well, the mystery may have been solved. Davey writes, “In September 2024 the Australian researcher Dr Saul Newman, now at the Oxford Institute of Population Aging in the UK, won an Ig Nobel prize after he uncovered the one critical factor key to longevity that all these regions have in common.” 

The answer? “Terrible record-keeping, it turns out.” 

In his research, Newman managed to find 80 percent of the people in the world claiming to be 110 years or older, and he discovered that almost none of them have a birth certificate. “His work is supported by a Japanese government review that found 82 percent of people aged over 100 in Japan were actually dead or couldn’t be located,” Davey adds.   

Government Data Blows Holes in Blue Zone Theories 

Okinawa is supposedly one of the Blue Zones, but empirical evidence suggests that doesn’t make sense. 

Dr. Newman told Davey, “Okinawans eat Spam and KFC at high rates and are last in Japan for consumption of vegetables and sweet potato, and eat 41kg of meat a year [about 90 pounds]. They have the consistently worst [Body Mass Index] in Japan since 1975, including among the 75-plus-year-olds. This is not my data. It comes from the government of Japan, which surveys the people of Okinawa in the largest nutritional survey in the world.”  

In other words, it turns out that a lot of the details of “Mediterranean diets” and other Blue Zone nutritional wisdom is cherrypicked: it doesn’t accurately reflect how these people are living, day-to-day.  

Experts Say Some Blue Zone Advice is Wrong-Headed 

So, is any of the Blue Zone advice any good? The answer is mixed. 

Professor Bruce Neal, a physician and executive director at the George Institute for Global Health Australia, says that when you look at articles about the Blue Zone lifestyle, “some of the suggestions are good for people.” These include eating more leafy greens and building movement into every day, both of which are evidence-based suggestions.   

But he adds, “There’s also a bunch of stuff which is clearly just wrong,” such as incorporating a certain amount of wine into daily or weekly consumption. Alcohol isn’t considered part of a heart-healthy diet, but is often recommended by Blue Zone diet advocates.  

Some Elements of Longevity are Far Beyond Our Control 

Neal continues, “But the things that really have made people live longer are environmental factors like having a sewerage system, having fresh water that’s readily available, and living in a society in which there is a reasonable degree of equity, peace and money.” Vaccines significantly add to life expectancy, too.  

Many of these particular factors are out of our control, Neal says, and come down to environment, government policies, and distribution of wealth.  

So, Davey poses: for people privileged enough to have access to all of these things, are there ways to boost longevity even more?  We now know that the answer is yes. 

No “Specific Formula” but Plenty of Data to Boost Longevity 

Dr. Daisy Coyle, an accredited dietician, says, “There is no specific formula for living to 110 years old, but we do know some factors that can influence longevity.”  

She says that these include an obvious list: a healthy diet, maintenance of a healthy weight, avoiding smoking, regular exercise, and limiting alcohol consumption. She also adds managing stress, getting enough sleep, creating healthy connections, and avoiding risky behaviors.  

“Adopting these lifestyle habits can improve your chances of aging well, but they don’t guarantee you’ll live to over 100,” Coyle says. Genetics play some role, too: “Not just in how long you live but also in your susceptibility to conditions like cancer and other diseases.”  

Don’t Overlook the Power of Strong Social Connections 

Yun-Hee Jeon, professor of healthy aging at University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre, has interviewed hundreds of older people living in rural and regional areas about their health and their quality of life. From these interviews, she has concluded that social connection is a vital factor that contributes to longevity and wellbeing.   

“We’re not talking about having hundreds of social media followers,” she says. “We’re talking about having a couple of people actually close to where we live and having some sense of connection with them.”  

Don’t Waste Time Trying to “Do Everything Right” 

Jeon finds the drive to discover the “perfect combination of lifestyle hacks” frustrating, though she understands the appeal. Even people who do everything “right” will get sick eventually, she warns.  

“About 80 percent of people aged 75 and older experience more than one health condition, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not aging well, that they will all die soon, or that they can’t still have quality of life,” she says. 

Her wise words conclude Davey’s article: “What we have to do is accept that we will be exposed to health conditions in later stages of our lives, and so healthy life, to me, is about being able to adapt to those challenges and have some independence to do things you enjoy. I’m more interested in a life of quality, rather than living a longer life.”  

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(originally reported at www.theguardian.com)