How to live to 100 and beyond: blue zones’ healthy longevity secrets spread to new places

Dan Buettner identified five communities where old people live with vim and vigour 20 years ago; now he helps other places follow their lead

Wellness

Tara Loader Wilkinson

Published: 6:15pm, 26 Jun 2024

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Ozempic for weight loss. IV drips for hangovers. Micro-workouts for fitness. Life-extending supplements. The craze for instant health fixes has Dan Buettner, founder of the Blue Zones, shaking his head.

Twenty years ago he showed that longevity is down to long-term lifestyle, with no such thing as a silver bullet. This was the message from the blue zones – five communities, in Okinawa, Japan, Sardinia, Italy, Nicoya, Costa Rica, Ikaria, Greece, and Loma Linda, in the US state of California – where old people live with vim and vigour into their 100th year and beyond.

“People are more than ever looking for the fountain of youth, the magic supplement or quick fix for health and longevity, and I don’t think that exists,” he says.

“The blue zones research shows it is all about changing your environment for the healthy choice to be the easy choice over a lifetime, even though that may seem traditional.”

Dan Buettner speaks with 101-year-old Maria Roberta in Nicoya, Costa Rica. Photo: David McLain

A National Geographic fellow, award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author, as well as a Guinness record holder for cycling, Buettner came across the blue zones initially while doing transcontinental cycling. He founded the Blue Zones in 2004 after approaching National Geographic with the idea to research longevity hotspots.

Buettner, 63, practises what he preaches. He tries to incorporate all of the “Power 9” principles he learned from blue zone residents’ lifestyles into his life.

They are:

Buettner says: “I bike or walk to work as much as possible. I make sure to constantly connect with friends and family and I always make sure that I find time to decompress even with a busy schedule. I also eat plant-based.”

Buettner has published several recipe books, which include dishes such as broccoli and peanut soup, breadfruit poke bowl and spinach dal.

“These habits may be a bit difficult at first because changing any aspect of your life is hard, but once you start, you end up doing them naturally,” he says.

100-year-old Marge Jetton does some strength training in Loma Linda, California. Photo: David McLain

“You do not need to beat yourself up over the little details every day. As long as you are continuing to make small changes to a healthier you, you are on track.”

That begs the question, could anyone create their own personal blue zone?

Buettner says it is difficult to fully recreate the exact conditions of a blue zone, but anyone can adopt many of the core principles to improve their health and longevity.

“Key elements such as a plant-based diet, regular physical activity, strong social bonds, and a sense of purpose are universally applicable,” he says.

“The rural and close-knit community aspects do play a significant role, but with intentional effort, urban and modern communities can also foster environments that support these healthy practices. It requires a community-wide commitment to creating supportive, health-promoting environments.”

Buettner has a bowl of butternut squash soup with a centenarian in Nicoya, Costa Rica. Photo: David McLain

This is the goal of the Blue Zones Project in cities across the United States and Canada, which works with local communities to transform the local environment to support health and longevity.

The Blue Zones project cities are undergoing community transformation programmes that lower healthcare costs and improve productivity.

The first project regions are Albert Lea, Minnesota; Beach Cities, California; Klamath Falls, Oregon; Southwest Florida; Spencer, Iowa; Hawaii; and Fort Worth, Texas.

Small changes made big differences to these places over the years, such as creating a “walking school bus” for children – where a group of children walk to school with one or more adults – to curb childhood obesity.

Twenty years on, Buettner would not change anything related to the original study. However, in that time frame, his original blue zones have been disintegrating – in particular Okinawa, Japan, which he sadly had to strike off the list after a visit last year.

“We continue to study the original blue zones, and while most still exhibit longevity, they are starting to disintegrate with the effects of technology and the Western diet.”

Almost all Okinawan centenarians grow or used to grow a garden, providing daily physical activity that can help reduce stress and boost mood – and a regular source of fresh vegetables. Photo: David McLain

“Okinawa specifically has suffered the worst degeneration of all, and we do not consider it to be a blue zone any longer. With that said, you can still see many of the longevity principles if you visit the older generations on Okinawa,” he says.

That includes keeping up a largely whole food plant-based diet, including tofu and purple sweet potato. The older residents also still sit on the floor to keep their lower bodies limber and strong, they do gardening, and belong to social networks called Moai.

There is no word for “retire” in the Okinawa dialect; ikigai translates as “a sense of purpose”. These practices are fading, though.

A few months ago Buettner announced Singapore as a new blue zone. Singapore citizens now have an impressive life expectancy of 84, one of the highest in the world. But unlike most of the other places, Singapore is a “manufactured” blue zone, Buettner says.

“While many regions worldwide are adopting healthier lifestyles, the designation of a blue zone requires more than just recent wellness trends. The original blue zones naturally developed an environment over generations that made it so [that] health and longevity ensued rather than something they had to pursue,” he says.

In Blue Zones project cities in North America, small changes make big differences, such as creating a “walking school bus” – a group of children who walk to school with one or more adults – to curb childhood obesity. Photo: Shutterstock

“For a place to earn the blue zones label, it must exhibit a long history of healthy living, tight-knit communities and environmental factors that contribute to longevity.”

Singapore was able to achieve the label because its leaders made strategic changes through policy and environment for health and wellness to ensue over generations simply by living in the community, he said.

For example, healthy food is subsidised, junk food is taxed, driving your car is taxed, and the city takes a hard line on drugs. If your ageing parents live with you, or within five yards (4.6 metres), you get a tax break, which means older people in society are more frequently cared for my family members, rather than going into retirement homes.

This could be a model for other cities wanting to improve the health of their ageing citizens.

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