STRANGE BUT TRUE

Longevity hot spots yield surprising data

Q: What are “Blue Zones” and why might you be interested in knowing about them?

A: They’re places in the world populated by the longest-lived people centenarians and even some super-centenarians 110 years of age or older with relatively few years of disability, reports the University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter. The name grew out of investigators using a blue pen on a map to designate these “longevity hot spots”: the Ogliastra and Barbagia regions of Sardinia; Okinawa, Japan; the Greek island Ikaria; the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica; and Loma Linda, California.

In one village of about 900 inhabitants in Sardinia, for example, there have been 20 centenarians over the past 20 years, with men and women living equally long lives. And Loma Linda, California, the only Blue Zone in the U.S., has the nation’s highest concentration of Seventh Day Adventists, known for their healthy lifestyles. People there live 10 years longer than other Americans. Among the common traits of long-lived people are eating plant-based diets, limiting processed foods, sugar and alcohol, being active, managing stress and having a sense of community.

Interestingly, in the Blue Zones, rates of smoking and obesity vary widely, which suggests that nature as well as nurture are at work here. In fact, one study identified “longevity genes” common among 100-plus-year-olds, perhaps offering protection against a variety of chronic diseases.