We’ve been having a lot of people ask us if we’ve seen the new Netflix special “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones”. It’s a great show and super interesting. If you haven’t seen it, here’s the basic premise.
In 2016, National Geographic Fellow Dan Buettner and his team published a study on what they found to be the secrets to longevity.
Dubbed the Blue Zones, Buettner identified five specific areas of the world where people consistently live over 100 years of age. These areas are:
“These are places where human beings have lived manifestly longest,” Buettner explained to Medical News Today. “They’ve achieved the health outcomes we want: long lives largely free of chronic disease. Since only 80% of how long we live is dictated by disease, these people’s lifestyles and environments offer us instructions and clues for how we can set up our lives to live longer.”
Within these five areas, Buettner discovered there were nine common practices that people followed that might explain their slower aging process. Called the Power 9, they include:
- move naturally
- have a purpose in life
- reduce stress
- practice the 80% diet rule, which is to stop eating when 80% full
- favor a plant-based diet
- drink alcohol in moderate amounts
- belong to a community
- put family first
- keep a social circle that supports healthy behaviors.
Loneliness, said Buettner, is a top risk factor for a shorter life, so preventing that as much as we can could help add years to our lives:
“We know that lonely people are expected to live 8 fewer years than well-connected people and that health behaviors [are] measurably contagious. People in Blue Zones are in socially connected villages with strong social ties, which gives them a longevity edge from the very beginning.”
“There’s no short-term fix [or] supplement for longevity,” he added. “Learn plant-based dishes that you like and cook at home. Curate a social circle of three to five healthy friends [who] will care about you on a bad day. Health behaviors are contagious, and friends tend to be long-term adventures.”
Osteopaths are wholistic health care providers and we’re here to discuss all aspects of your health, from exercise and nutrition, to ergonomics and lifestyle, and how these factors impact on your musculoskeletal system and overall health.
Reference: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/what-to-know-about-the-blue-zone-diet-and-other-healthy-habits-for-longevity#Blue-Zones:-What-are-they?
