The Blue Zones and The Secret of Longevity

        Dan Buettner is the team leader of  "The Blue Zones" which is a longevity research project funded by National Geographic. They are studying human longevity in various cultures around the world. In his book "The Blue Zones", Dan Buettner outlines the healthy habits, the longevity diets and the cultural and familial values that each longevity society upholds.
The name for the project was coined after Dan's team happened to be using a blue marker to circle areas with high rates of human longevity on a map. A blue zone is specifically a geographical region somewhere in the world that has exceptionally high rates of longevity. For example, Okinawan longevity is the best in the world, per capita. One in 2,000 Okinawans can expect to make it past 100, whereas the average American has a 1 in 100,000 chance (according to statistics from 1990).

Certain lifestyle habits were found to be common practices in each blue zone longevity society:

• Emphasis on strong family values

• Strong community values

• Exclusively plant based diets (little to no animal products)

• Whole food lifestyles focused on fruits and veggies

• Antioxidants and anti-aging herbs are plentiful

• Daily benefits of physical exercise

• Everyone knows how to deal with stress

• All the elders and centenarians still work

• Daily consumption of small amounts of alcohol

• A sense of purpose in life (Ikigai is the Japanese word for this)

• Spirituality is part of life in all of the blue zones

• A complete absence of smoking and obesity

• veryone knows the benefits of a positive attitude

Blue Zone Diet Basics

Buettner defines a Blue Zone as an area where there is an unusually high number of people living until the age of a hundred or more. In addition, not only are they living a long time but they are also remaining vibrant and happy while they age.
Four regions of the world are identified and the elements that may contribute to the remarkable occurrence of longevity in these areas are examined.

The Italian Island of Sardinia

• In one village of 2500 people there were seven centenarians; a very high number considering that the ratio in the US is one per 5000.
• Sardinians eat a Mediterranean style diet with whole grains, fava beans, vegetables, fruits, sheep and goat milk products and red wine. Meat is reserved for Sundays and special occasions.

Okinawa in Japan

• Is now well known as one of the areas in the world where people live long and healthy lives.
• The Okinawan diet includes brown rice, soy products such as miso and tofu, vegetables, sweet potatoes and fish. Pork is consumed only for very infrequent ceremonial occasions and is taken in small amounts.
• An important aspect of the Okinawan approach to diet is to eat until only 80% full, which results in a moderate restriction of calorie intake, one of the factors associated with longevity.

Loma Linda in California

• Here there is a population of Seventh Day Adventists and a well-known health study has documented that Adventists live longer than the rest of the population and their vegetarian diet is thought to be the most likely cause of this.
• Specific dietary factors that may be involved in their outstanding health include a high intake of fruit and vegetables, oatmeal, nuts and water.

A Region in Costa Rica

• This is where the world’s healthiest and longest-lived people were found.
• Their diet includes orange, mango, papaya, corn, beans, rice, squash and eggs. The water in this region is also particularly high in minerals such as calcium and magnesium.

Common to all of the Blue Zones was a strong emphasis on family and community. Social support is one factor that may be involved in the low level of stress that is reported by the centenarians.
The longest living people in these communities have worked in physical labor their entire lives and most of them are still active. They have a strong sense of purpose as well as defined spiritual beliefs and practices.

http://www.bluezones.com

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What Are The Benefits Of The Mediterranean Diet?

The Mediterranean Diet is more than a diet; It is a lifelong living style. You have to adopt it, as a religion. Decades ago, it was the natural way of life of many people around the Mediterranean Basin, especially in Spain, Italy and Greece. High activity, Mediterranean nutrition, anti stress attitudes and not much money shaped a culture that can be declared soon Immaterial Human Heritage by UNESCO. Nowadays, these circumstances have changed in the mentioned countries, but many responsible people are still keeping or returning to what is considered to be the healthiest diet in the world.Traditionally, Western Europe has two broad nutritional approaches - the Northern European and Southern European. The Mediterranean Diet is Southern European, and more specifically focuses on the eating habits of the people of Crete, much of Greece, and southern Italy. Today, Spain, southern France, and Portugal are also included; even though Portugal does not have a Mediterranean coast.

What does the Mediterranean Diet include?

• Lots of plant foods
• Fresh fruit as dessert
• High consumption of beans, nuts, cereals and seeds
• Olive oil as the main source of dietary fat
• Cheese and yogurt as the main dairy foods
• Moderate amounts of fish and poultry
• No more than about four eggs each week
• Small amounts of red meat each week (compared to northern Europe)
• Low to moderate amounts of wine
• 25% to 35% of calorie intake consists of fat
• Saturated fat makes up no more than 8% of calorie intake

The Mediterranean diet is known to be low in saturated fat, high in monounsaturated fat, and high in dietary fiber.

Even though Dr. Ancel Keys (USA), who was stationed in southern Italy, publicized the Mediterranean diet, it was not until about the 1990s that the Mediterranean diet was widely recognized and followed elsewhere by nutritionally conscious people.

Compared to other Western diets, the Mediterranean diet was seen by others as a bit of an enigma. Although fat consumption is high, the prevalence of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, obesity, cancer and diabetes has always been significantly lower in Mediterranean countries than northern European countries and the USA.
The American diet is more similar to the northern European diet - with high red meat consumption, greater consumption of butter and animal fats, and a lower intake of fruit and vegetables, compared to the eating habits of Italy, Greece, southern France, and Spain.

The non-English speaking countries of northern Europe, such as Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Austria have adopted the Mediterranean diet to a much greater degree than English speaking nations, such as the UK, Ireland, the USA, Australia and New Zealand. Dietary habits in Canada vary; with the French-speaking Quebec areas tending more towards a Mediterranean diet, compared to the rest of the country. Many experts say that is why English-speaking nations have a lower life expectancy than most other developed nations.

Olive oil is known to lower blood cholesterol levels, hypertension, and blood sugar levels; as are fruit and vegetables.

Mediterranean countries consume higher quantities of red wine, while northern European countries and the USA consume more beer. Red wine contains flavonoids, which are powerful antioxidants.

The Mediterranean diet, compared to the Anglo-saxon diet, contains much higher quantities of unprocessed foods.

What are the benefits of the Mediterranean diet?

Studies have been carried out which compare the health risks of developing certain diseases, depending on people's diets. People who adopted the Mediterranean diet have been compared with those who have an American or Northern European diet.


The following health benefits have been observed by people who have a Mediterranean diet:

• Longer lifespan
• Lower risk of dying at any age
• Lower risk of dying from heart disease
• Lower risk of dying from cancer
• Lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes
• Lower risk of hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Lower risk of raised cholesterol levels
• Lower risk of becoming obese
• Lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease
• Lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease

Links:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-mediterranean-diet
http://www.oldwayspt.org/mediterraneandiet
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4644
http://www.mediterranean-food-recipes.com/

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