Have you ever heard of “Blue Zones”?
These regions of the world are known for having citizens who live exceptionally long and healthy lives.
Some of these places may look familiar:
Okinawa, Japan (home of Mr. Miyagi from Karate Kid!). Sardinia, Italy. Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica. Ikaria, Greece.
These places have a higher percentage of people who live longer due to their local whole-food diet, high vegetable consumption, low incidences of disease, rich social interactions, low stress and abundant physical activity.
Books, documentaries, and countless news articles have championed these companies, and millions upon millions of health-conscious individuals have modeled their lifestyles after those people.
There is just A problem with this amazing story.
That's not really true.
The first Ig Nobel Prize in demography
Last month, Dr. Saul Justin Newman received the first “Ig Nobel Prize” in demography.
These prizes are awarded each year for scientific research that “makes you laugh, then think”.
For this particular award, Newman was recognized for debunking virtually every finding of any study relating to Blue Zones.
Here's what Dr. Newman discovered:
“The highest rates of extreme old age are predicted by high poverty, lack of birth certificates and fewer people aged 90.
Poverty and pressures to commit pension fraud have been shown to be strong indicators of people reaching age 100 and over in a way that is “the opposite of rational expectations”.
It turns out that most of the “very old and healthy” individuals in these blue zones were simply the result of very poorly kept records, pension fraud and outright lies.
Let's take a look at what's really happening in Okinawa:
“Although vegetables and sweet potatoes are touted as key components of the Okinawa “Blue Zone” diet, according to the Japanese government, Okinawans eat the fewest vegetables and sweet potatoes in Japan and have the highest body mass index.
Oooooof. So, what do we do now!?
Be wary of anecdotal accounts that make dramatic promises
Spend enough time on social media and you'll come across people telling you to eat only meat, to eliminate carbs completely, how “this supplement saved their life”, or that doing XYZ cured their disease , and so on.
These anecdotal stories, especially when they feature a villain, a victim, and a heroic tale of overcoming adversity, are incredibly powerful. They are also often used to sell you a solution in pill or powder form.
The good news is that we have data that is constantly being refined by science.
We don't do it In fact We don't need to know what Okinawans eat, nor do we need to study the daily habits of any particular community in Costa Rica.
Don't get me wrong, I also love a good fanciful tale about the ways of a faraway land, but this still comes back to reality and science!
And we can remember that we must do what's best for our particular situation. This could include therapythis could include medication for weight lossthis might include just focusing on sleep right now!
It's up to us to decide, and we can do it with confidence. Not because that's what's happening in Costa Rica or Greece, but simply because it's what's best for us.
Here are some of the ways we can positively impact our lifespan and/or health.
Yes, some of these things are part of the “blue zone regime”… but without the sensationalism and pension fraud.
And many of them could be beyond our control!
For example, social determinants of health (financial stability, access to health care, education, our neighborhood) are strongly correlated with all-cause mortality, and many of these elements may not be accessible to a large portion of the population.
Life is complicated
I'm not bringing all this up to tell you to avoid a Blue Zone diet.
Hell, you could do a lot worse than follow a Mediterranean diet! Of course You'll likely lose weight and feel healthier if you eat mostly fresh fish, whole foods, and vegetables.
I mention all of this to remind you that life is complicated.
A long, healthy life is a combination of dozens of interconnected things (like those listed above), thousands of decisions made during our lifetime, more stuff like genetics, society and luck! What works for one person may not work for another person, and there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution to our problems.
We might get hit by a bus tomorrow, be diagnosed with cancer even though we “did everything right,” or have an experience a freak accident that changes everything next week.
So, rather than chasing immortality through sensationalist anecdotes, or getting carried away by the latest social media trend…
We can stay focused on the things that we are convinced will make us better tomorrow than we are today.
Like the things on this list above! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to do a few push-ups, eat a vegetable, and take a short walk while calling a friend.
-Steve
PS Hats off to my friend Jodi Ettenberg, whose heartbreaking and powerful story about acceptance I linked to above. It was its newsletter That brought me to this article!
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#Beware #Story #Embrace #Science