I’ve been thinking a lot about longevity lately. I’m sure this has nothing to do with the fact that I’m quickly plowing through my “middle age”. Recently, when confronted with the possiblity of having to go on statins to control my high cholesterol levels (some of which is genetic), I started to do some research on diet and behavioral changes to control cholesterol. I fell down the rabbit hole and discovered “Blue Zones”.
Blue Zones are places on Earth where the population lives longer than average, and was thoroughly described by Dan Buettner in his 2004 cover story for National Geographic. They are: Okinawa, Japan. Sardinia, Italy. Loma Linda, California. Nicoya, Costa Rica. Ikaria, Greece. Outside of just all sounding like awesome places to live, I wondered what they all had in common. Let’s start with the diet.
Note: There has been some criticism of the Blue Zone data. For example, Okinawans might not be the longest lived peoples of Japan and many of their birth records were obliterated in WW2, so much of the data about how old people lived comes from family history and personal recollections… which are notoriously unreliable.
The Diet.
I’m not going to bury the lead…. while all of the Blue Zones have some dietary things in common, there really isn’t “one diet to rule them all”. This actually made sense to me because I’ve always felt that people are so different genetically, culturally, biochemically… even in our gut bacterial composition… that I never felt comfortable with the “one diet fits all” mentality. For example, some blue zones omit dairy almost entirely (Okinawa) while others use dairy liberally (Sardinia, Ikaria).
Commonalities: lower meat consumption (but not all vegetarian), more plant based foods, nuts, legumes and whole grains. Avoid highly processed foods, cured meats, snacks and sodas.
Differences: Some blue zones eat dairy, alcohol, caffeine, and some don’t. The quantity of meat eaten varies from zone to zone, but all of them are lower in meat than the standard Western diet (with Loma Linda being almost full vegan). The types of plants vary based on zone, with some regional stars like the purple sweet potato of Okinawa.
Wine: Wine is consumed moderately and regularly in all blue zones except Loma Linda (they are Seventh Day Adventists and prohibit alcohol and caffeine). Red wine seems to be best and the wine grown in the Sardinian region has the highest level of antioxidants of all wine tested. One to two glasses of wine are consumed with friends and family at dinner time.
The standout: Legumes. I was surprised to see legumes in every blue zone. As we’ll see, this plant based protein may be the most important of them all.
The Lifestyle.
Just as important as the diet, lifestyle seems to be a critical component to longevity in the blue zones. Blue zoners have the following life style characteristics in common:
They move naturally: They don’t necessarily work out at the gym, but they have lifestyles that include regular movement like walking/biking to work, gardening or taking walks with family.
They have “purpose”. They feel a sense of life’s purpose and a reason to get up in the morning.
They control stress. Different zoners do it in different ways (praying, meditating, relaxing) but all of them make time in each day to downshift.
They quit eating before they are full (about 80% full).
They belong. Whether its to a church, a large family or a community, zoners feel a part of a larger group of people.
They put family first. It could be committing to a life long partner, living in a multi-generational household or heavily investing in their children.
They find their “tribe”. They have long lasting social connections of people who are complementary to themselves.
Along with the plant based diet and the moderate alcohol consumption, these characteristics make up the “power 9”.
Back to Legumes.
Legumes (also sometimes called pulses) include beans, chickpeas, lentils, soybeans and peanuts. These plants are nitrogen fixing (they take nitrogen in gas form from the atmosphere and “fix” it into a nutritious solid form in proteins) by way of a symbiotic relationship with bacteria that live in nodules on their roots. This is a critical part of the nitrogen cycle and makes legumes excellent crop-rotating plants to replenish nitrogen in the soils.
In addition to their prominance in Blue Zones, other scientists have discovered that legumes are one of the most important foods associated with longevity. Eating more legumes was associated with up to two more years of life (and that was the highest gain in life expectancy out of every food they studied).
More, legumes are also one of the most environmentally friendly food sources. Farming legumes (compared to other crops or farming animals for dairy/meat) was among the lowest in greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use and fertilizer use.
So, what diet should I follow?
Mediterranean? Vegetarian? Pescatarian?
While studies have shown that all three of the diets above are associated with lower diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease risk….
…another gigantic study in the Lancet (analyzing diets best for both personal health and environmental sustainability) identifies this as the “ideal” diet. (Although, it has been criticized for being financially unattainable for many communities around the world.)
Again, I’m hesitant to believe that there is a “one diet to rule them all”. Looking back at the Blue Zone data, it seems as if the exact composition of your diet is less important than making sure you have more plant based foods and fewer meats, processed foods and sugary sodas and snacks (plus all the lifestyle factors!). That way everyone can tailor their diets to their culture, lifestyle and budget.
The biggest bang for your buck? Eat more legumes.
Stay happy, healthy and informed!
Jessica at TCA
The Secrets of Longevity. National Geographic, 2004.
Why People in Blue Zones Live Longer Than the Rest of the World
Harriet Hall. Blue Zones Diet: Speculation Based on Misinformation
G. Vaidyanathan. What Humanity Should Eat to Stay Healthy and Save the Planet.
Fadnes et al. Estimating Impact of Food Choices on Life Expectancy: A Modeling Study