If it’s not in every fashion or health magazine, you see it in ads throughout your day. New products claiming to help you live longer and feel younger. People have long been fascinated with ideas of longevity, and companies have capitalized on this longing for the “fountain of youth”. There have been many cases of individuals living well past their 100th year to the point that Guinness World Records keeps track of who is the oldest living person. However, what isn’t often discussed is the quality of life for these people when it should be. Quality of life is an important consideration, especially since lifespan has increased over the centuries. Comparing the modern situation to as early as 1800, worldwide it was rare to see a large amount of the population living past their mid-thirties. Even in 1950, while some countries were reaching average life expectancies in their seventies, there were still countries that had life expectancies just reaching the forties. Now, in 2019, all countries have a life expectancy average over 50, even with some countries like Canada, Japan, and Australia having life expectancies in the late-eighties.
(We can go on all day the amazing trends worldwide on life expectancy but the first resource can show you some pretty cool stuff if you are interested)
However, even though life expectancy is continually increasing, years living with disability begins at a similar age. No matter the year born, many people in the population of age 60 increase their likelihood of developing disease and disability. So the question is, why continue to try and live longer without increasing the years to your life? Yes, habits like exercise, good nutrition, less alcohol, and the many other topics that come up when you google “how to live longer” will help you but it does not guarantee life without disability.
A big question is if there are examples of where community health practices increase both life expectancy and years to one’s life. And, surprisingly, there are.
Blue Zones
Blue Zones, also called longevity hotspots, is a term coined by National Geographic fellow Dan Buettner, to describe areas where people are living the longest and are healthy in their late age. These zones are where lifestyle and environmental factors come together and allow these groups to live long and actually live their long lives. Only five areas in the world are considered a Blue Zone:
1. The Barbagia region of Sardinia
2. Ikaria, Greece
3. Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
4. The Seventh Day Adventists around Loma Linda, California
5. Okinawa, Japan
These Blue Zones have many things in common and it is categorized into four general categories and nine denominators.
Move
- Move naturally: As strange as it sounds, these individuals aren’t running marathons, joining gyms, and hitting crazy personal records. Their everyday life consists of constant movement and they live in environments that encourage this movement. They don’t use mechanical conveniences for jobs around the property. Rather, they grow their own food, and rely on their community for other food sources instead of grocery stores.
Right Outlook
- Purpose: All these areas have a phrase all meaning “why I wake up in the morning”. They have a deep understanding of their purpose.
- Down Shift: This is related to stress. Stress is good in low doses but chronic stress that is experienced now in modern society has put on people. Each area has a way to take a few moments every day to shed that stress. Whether it is remembering their ancestors in Okinawa to Sardinian happy hour, this down shift is prevalent and encouraged.
Eat Wisely
- 80% Rule: They only eat until they are 80% full. It is the point of not feeling hungry and not feeling full. A common way people phrase it is ‘feeling satisfied’. These groups have an incredibly healthy relationship with their food and have their last meal as their smallest. This last meal is generally in the late afternoon or early evening, not 11 at night.
- Plant Slant: The majority, if not all, of their nutrition consists of plant-based foods. If they do eat meat, it is a maximum of 5 meals a month, is not red meat, and the serving is only the size of a deck of cards.
- Moderate Alcohol: Except for the Seventh Day Adventist community, 1 to 2 glasses of alcohol is drank per day with friends and food. It is not saved up for the party night on the weekend.
Connect
- Right Tribe: This is a group within the group, people that will help each other with healthy behaviours and these friends are committed to helping each other for life.
- Belong: There was a type of faith-based community for all but 5 centenarians in these areas. Denomination did not matter but a common aspect was that the individuals went to a faith-based service four times a month.
- Loved Ones First: Aging parents and grandparents are kept nearby or in the home, which additionally lowers disease mortality rates of children in that home. They commit to a life partner and if they have children, they invest into them with time and love rather than monetary items.
However…
There is also a genetic component as well, though not as much as you think. Research has found that genetics may not have as strong as the 20-30% correlation to life span as once thought.
A study by Calico Life Sciences researched publicly available information from the family trees on Ancestry (the website). This allows them to know life span of individuals, comparing life span of siblings, first cousins, spouses, sibling-in-laws, and first-cousin-in-laws. The analysis showed that all individuals has similar life spans even though some were not living in the same home or were not blood relatives. Now, many scientists think that genetic life span is around 7%, which leaves a lot of room for much more research and room for healthy lifestyle to effect things.
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