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Happy 105 Birthday - Factors that Lead to Longevity

Writer's picture: Wendy Wang, PhD NutritionWendy Wang, PhD Nutrition

Blue Zones are regions of the world where a higher than the usual number of people live much longer than average. The term first appeared in Dan Buettner's November 2005 National Geographic magazine cover story, "The Secrets of a Long Life". In 1999, journalist and explorer Dan Buettner led a series of expeditions with National Geographic and a team of anthropologists, demographers, and scientists to discover the world's longest-living populations and the commonalities between these unique groups of people. They identified five regions of the world with the largest percentage of individuals 100 years of age or older, collectively called the Blue Zones (1, 2).


The five areas that have been officially identified as "blue zones," where people live the longest and healthiest lives are Okinawa, Japan; Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica; Loma Linda, California; Ikaria, Greece; and Sardinia, Italy.


Focusing on a healthy diet (mostly plant-based diet), regular physical activity (natural movements), social connectedness, spirituality, and stress management are healthy habits shared by the people living within the Blue Zones and may promote overall health and longevity. These sharing features are referred to as the Power Nine in Dan Buettner's book "The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest" (3).

A recent analysis from Statista showed that regions/countries with more than 1000 centenarians and have the highest percentage of the total population over the age of 100 (as of 2020) are Cuba, Spain, Italy, France, Puerto Rico, Hong Kong, Uruguay, and Japan. The report suggested that with more people living to be older than 100, it may someday become the new common like living to 80s these days.


With all these places with the longest-lived humans on the map, it is easy to spot one thing in common that these zones/regions/countries are all next to the ocean.


Human longevity is influenced by environment and nutrition. A study on environmental and nutritional factors relating to longevity in Chinese cities found higher 85+/65+ distribution ratios, indicating enhanced longevity, in the coastal and southern regions of China. These areas featured higher humidity, a low standard deviation of monthly temperature, higher levels of selenium (Se) distribution in soil, and greater sea fish consumption (4).


The distribution of Longevity rate (85+/65+) in China in 2010 is below (from: Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017 Oct; 14(10): 1195):


Seafood or sea fish are a well-known component of the Japanese diet as well as the Loma Linda diet since Loma Linda people only eat fish and they do not eat meat. As they live next to the ocean, the high nutrition value of seafood may be in the diets of the people who live the longest. The consumption of sea fish, kelp, seaweed, jellyfish, mussels, and other kinds of seafood are excellent sources of protein, unsaturated fatty acids, especially omega-3 fatty acids, and minerals like zinc.


This study showed that the combination of the humidity, altitude, and per capita sea fish consumption explained 66% and 68% of longevity in China in 2000 and 2010, respectively. Moderate climate is more conducive to longevity, however, there is no significant difference in longevity between different sub-climatic types within moderate climate, and the relation between humidity and longevity is not always positive, the relation between altitude and longevity is not always negative. The only consistent finding is that nutritional factors like omega-3 in sea fish are crucial to longevity (4).


Living next to the ocean, the weather is generally mild and pleasant, suitable for living. The five blue zones are coastal regions and away from big cities, so that they are not exposed to pollutes in the air, water, or soil. Breathe in the fresh ocean air and eat fresh sea fish sound like a very nice life. Ocean air is full of negative ions, which can help a person to sleep more soundly. Negative ions can help the body take in oxygen while balancing serotonin levels allowing seaside sleepers to relax, sleep uninterrupted and wake up refreshed. As a result, people who live next to the ocean may be happier too.


I have previously written a blog to share healthy aging tips from my grandma when she was 102 years old Healthy Aging - nutrition secrets from my 102-year-old grandma. I see my grandma’s diet and lifestyle have many similarities to the blue zone’s diets and lifestyles, such as goat milk, seafood, sweet potato, tea, and tight social connections. With a healthy lifestyle and healthy food choices, my grandma is celebrating her 105-year-old birthday today. Happy 105 Birthday, Grandma!




Reference List:

1. Buettner D. and Skemp S. Blue Zones: Lessons From the World’s Longest Lived. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2016; 10(5): 318–321.

2. Buettner D. The Blue Zones Solution: Eating and Living Like the World’s Healthiest People. Washington, DC: National Geographic Society; 2015.

3. Buettner D. The Blue Zones: 9 Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest. Washington, DC: National Geographic Society; 2008.

4. Huang Y, Rosenberg M, Hou LL, Hu MJ. Relationships among Environment, Climate, and Longevity in China. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017;14(10):1195.



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