Real reason 'Blue Zone' residents live to over 100, according to longevity expert

We're witnessing a real-time shift in the wellness industry. Where health and diet culture used to be centred around fitness and appearance, it's now taking a back seat in favour of the bigger picture - or more notably - the future.

Longevity (and biohacking as a byproduct) are words that are popping up more and more when we're discussing what it really means to be healthy, and for some, the ultimate goal is no longer abs or a 10k run, but actually being able to live longer.

Bryan Johnson and Gary Brecka are among some of the biggest names exploring this possibility, while Dan Buettner is researching the communities already prolonging their own lives, often without even doing so intentionally.

His Netflix documentary Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones from 2023 became Emmy-winning, and took a peek inside just why some people are living longer than others, based on location.

Pexels/ Ed Schipul/CC BY-SA 2.0

'Blue Zones' have become known as geographic regions with the world's longest-living people, often reaching 100 years old or more.

The original five were named as Okinawa (Japan), Sardinia (Italy), Nicoya (Costa Rica), Ikaria (Greece), and Loma Linda (USA) - all of which share similar traits in terms of lifestyle and diet.

Now, the answer to prolonging your life doesn't simply depend on packing up your bags and heading for Greece, but all of us can make the same actionable changes as these thriving towns and reap some kind of benefit.

"Blue Zones tend to be in remote areas", he notes in a recent Instagram video. "They are typically villages, they're typically walkable places, but a key feature it seems of most Blue Zones is they're insulated from the corrosive effects of modernisation."

He continues: "The American food culture hasn't arrived yet - they're not eating chips, sodas and pizzas - cars are slow to arrive so that's more decades where they're actually walking, and social media isn't completely adopted yet so people are still talking with each other face-to-face."

Pexels

In short - they're still adopting slow living as a way of life, and haven't yet let modernisation take joy out of the simple things.

That might be growing and eating their own fresh foods, meeting friends regularly to engage in great conversation, and choosing to walk around the area where they live without any real aim or pressure.

"Longevity really seems to come from how people live day to day, not from chasing hacks", one follower noted, while another chimed in: "Face-to-face...what a concept."

And it could be causing us more problems than we think.

The discourse around UPFs and convenience foods isn't a new one, but pair that with an only-evolving phone addiction, and suddenly, it's cause for concern.

In1980, most Americans had three close friends, but now it’s fewer than two, with 'catch-up' culture killing our in-person connections.

Buettner says one of the reasons for this is that we're spending more time in our cars, rather than bumping into people in the street.

It could also be the rise of delivery apps over visiting our local coffee shop - we're no longer engaging in simple conversation with the barista making our drinks.

While one-third of Ikarians live past 90 years of age, while in the US, it's thought to be around 24 per cent.

Let this be your sign to put down your phone and enjoy the little things again.

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