In five ‘Blue Zones’ around the world, many people live very long lives. Is the science solid? Can we ‘reverse engineer’ longevity? And if we adopt the habits of people in the Blue Zones, how many years could we add to our life expectancy?
What do Sardinia, Italy and Okinawa, Japan have in common? They’re two of five ‘Blue Zones’, which are said to have a disproportionately high number of centenarians (100 or older) compared to the rest of the world. The other longevity hotspots are Nicoya in Costa Rica, Greek island Ikaria, and Loma Linda in California (that last one is populated by Seventh Day Adventists).
The man who identified these is American Dan Buettner, an National Geographic explorer, writer, storyteller, researcher and public speaker. After an expedition to Okinawa, Japan in 1999 to investigate the longevity there, he began to explore other regions of the world that reportedly had high longevity.
Collaborating with the National Institute on Aging, anthropologists, demographers, epidemiologists, historians, dietitians and geneticists, Buettner and his team found five Blue Zones. Four of them were beside the ocean, but that’s not why they’re called Blue Zones. The name was actually coined by the use of a blue pen to circle locations on a map.
The team searched for evidence-based common denominators, and found that many people in the Blue Zones share nine habits. They now call these ‘the Power 9®’).
- Move naturally (build incidental exercise into your days so you do it)
- Feel or develop a purpose in life
- ‘Downshift’: have routines to help shed stress
- Follow the 80% rule (stop eating when you’re 80% full)
- Eat plants and different kinds of beans
- Drink alcohol moderately and regularly
- Belong to a religious or spirituality community (otherwise, another strong community)
- Put loved ones first (this often means keeping aging parents nearby or in the home)
- Find the ‘right tribe’: social circles that support healthy behaviours
For instance, residents of Okinawa, Japan engage in moai: social support groups of neighbours or friends that tend to be lifelong. In Sardinia, Italy, sheep farmers (it’s the most common occupation there) walk up and down mountains for at least eight kilometres a day. You can ‘visit’ each Blue Zone through short videos. People there tend to be healthier and vigorous for longer, too.
Man on a mission
Over the years, Buettner has written bestselling books The Blue Zones, The Blue Zones Solution, The Blue Zones Challenge, Blue Zones Secrets, and The Blue Zones American Kitchen. Plus, there’s the Dan Buettner Podcast. He’s not shy, he’s not poor, and he is a change-maker.
Since 2009, the Blue Zones Project has taken a systemic approach to improving the health and wellbeing of more than 70 American communities through influencing (according to Blue Zone tenets) public spaces, schools, workplaces, campuses, and policies – providing free tools and resources funded by community sponsors.
While remaining as chairman of the board, Buettner sold Blue Zones in 2020 to nonprofit healthcare organisation Adventist Health, which is continuing the Blue Zones Project.
Can we trust the science?
But can the data behind the Blue Zones really be relied upon? Or is this an empire built off the back of unreliable research? In 2024, Dr Saul Justin Newman, from University College London’s Centre for Longitudinal Studies, published a study that suggested the high tally of centenarians in the ‘Blue Zones’ might be in doubt due to pension fraud, clerical errors, poor record-keeping and flawed data rather than actual longevity.
However, researchers soon wrote a rebuttal letter that said numerous scientific papers have validated the Blue Zones’ data. In December, The Gerontologist – an Oxford University Press academic journal – published a paper called ‘The Validity Of Blue Zones Demography: A Response To Critiques’ . Two leading academics detail how people’s ages in the Blue Zones have been rigorously validated using the highest standards of gerontological demography, cross-checking multiple independent sources. These include not just in-person interviews, but also civil birth and death records, church archives, genealogical reconstruction of family lineages, and electoral registries.
I’m no scientist, so perhaps assess the debate yourself. Either way, it’s hard to argue with the suggestions of a healthy diet, incidental exercise, and more connection to community.
A school friend of mine and some of her friends have Blue Zone nights, taking turns hosting evenings that serve up the food and traditions of one of the blue zones. Maybe I should start these up in Wellington?
Because I certainly can’t afford to go on a Blue Zones retreat. No, they’re not held in the actual Blue Zones. Staying in resorts round the world, you can learn the Power9® through workshops.
There’s another formula to remember: the ‘always’ and ‘avoid’ 4+4 guidelines:
- Always: 100% whole grains (farro, quinoa, brown rice, oatmeal, bulgur wheat, whole cornmeal)
- Always: nuts (a handful per day)
- Always: beans (a cup per day)
- Always: fruit & vegetables (5-10 servings per day)
- Avoid: sugar-sweetened beverages (empty calories)
- Avoid: salty snacks (too much salt and preservatives)
- Avoid: packaged sweets (cookies, candies, processed sweets)
- Avoid: processed meats (linked to cancer and heart disease)
Lengthening your lifespan?
Dare I try the Blue Zones® Life Plan? It sounds great on the website. “Rooted in our groundbreaking research of the healthiest, longest-lived people on earth, the Blue Zones® Life Plan is four weeks toward a better you. This is not an elimination diet. This is not a fitness plan. This is a new way to look at your health that will change your life for the better in nearly every way. Instead of focusing on behaviour change and habit formation, we’ll help you improve the places and spaces in which you spend the most time (including your social circle!) to create the Blue Zones Life you want.”
Well, I figured I’d at least take the Blue Zones True Vitality Test which calculates your life expectancy based on your current lifestyle and potential lifestyle. Shockingly, it says I could add 14 years to my life with “a few simple changes”. Reader, I found it confronting seeing two different expiry dates.
The Blue Zones® Life Plan isn’t quite right for me, but don’t let that put you off. And maybe the Power 9 and 4+4 will inspire me to adopt healthier habits. Or maybe I’ll move to Ikaria, a tiny Greek island, honoured as the birthplace of Dionysos, the god of wine, and where locals throw parties called panagyria with live music, dancing, and local wine and food. I like the sound of that.
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