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If there is one area in which the Japanese cannot learn from anyone, it is the question of longevity. In fact, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Japan is one of the countries with the highest life expectancy in the world. And the Japanese diet has a lot to do with it. But the Japanese are not the only ones on the longevity podium, and since the 1990s, American journalist Dan Buettner has been studying the lifestyles of residents of the five regions of the world with the highest concentration of centenarians. In 100 years of plenitude: the Secrets of the Blue Zones, a documentary series available on Netflix since the end of August, he reveals some of their secrets.
The man has been researching the so-called “blue zones”, those famous regions of the world where we find the highest concentration of centenarians, for almost 30 years. To understand and identify the factors that promote this significant life expectancy, he traveled to these blue zones: Sardinia, Japan, Greece, California and Costa Rica. It brings together hundreds of scientific studies on nutrition, geological conditions and the history of the populations living there. And he even took his investigations so far that he set up a blue zone in Albert Lea, Minnesota in 2009. A year later, average life expectancy locally increased by 2.9 years.
Sport, “of course”
If food has a major influence on well-being, the very important role of sport in the lives of residents cannot be overlooked in all the blue zones examined by Dan Buettner. And in a natural way. Centenarians do not strive to “play sports for the sake of playing sports.” On the other hand, they live in environments that leave no room for a sedentary lifestyle, such as Sardinia, where even the elderly are forced to climb and slide down the hills. On the Japanese island of Okinawa, which had the highest concentration of centenarians in the world (81 centenarians per 100,000 residents in 2015 compared to 20 in the United States, according to a 2015 study called the Okinawa Centenarian Study), locals took the habit of getting up several times a day. Handwork also plays a role in these areas. Farming, gardening and even cooking are sources of physical activity.
Food, social relationships and inclusion
Finally, let’s talk about food. In these blue zones, the diet consists more of unprocessed fruits and vegetables than meat. The basis of the local diet is formed by three staple foods: black beans, pumpkin and corn, our colleagues from Madame Figaro tell us. What do they have in common? They are rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Social relationships are also most symptomatic of these places where most centenarians congregate. All of the blue zones that Dan Buettner visited were primarily communities “where social bonds are extremely strong.” Relationships that help you stay happier and therefore healthier for longer until the end of your life. After all, integration into society is the last and not least pillar of a long life. In fact, people in these blue zones, even if they are older, do not feel excluded. There is no separation between active and retired people. The break between the two can often have damaging consequences for the excluded person.
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