How to Live Longer

We’ve done a story today for World News that I must say I found fascinating and encouraging: where in the world do people live the longest?  And why?

It’s become a cause to a fellow named Dan Buettner, who has many years before he has to worry about longevity himself.  He’s in his mid-forties.

But in 2005 he wrote a piece for National Geographic about places in the world where, if people reach middle age, they live seven to ten years, on average, longer than others nearby.  And they’re good years.  “I just became obsessed with finding out what it is that helps these people,” he said when we first talked.

Buettner is not a scientist, but he’s recruited scientists to work with him in doing research and spreading the word on what they find.  He’s a self-styled adventurer, a guy who bicycled from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to the tip of South America. 

He’s now identified four "Blue Zones"–so called because demographers marked them in blue on maps–where people seem to do well: in Costa Rica; the Mediterranean island of Sardinia; the Japanese island of Okinawa; and Loma Linda, California.

We’ve posted a fuller story HERE. And you can see the video HERE.

What are people in those places doing right?  No one thing–Buettner cites an "a la carte menu" of about eight elements that seem to contribute to longer, fuller lives. 

Healthy older people in his hot spots report they feel a sense of purpose…have a network of friends and family for support…tend to be religious…drink wine in moderation…eat fruits and vegetables but little meat…stay active…eat small portions and avoid obesity….  Many of these are familiar. 

If you want to live longer, do you have to move to one of those places?  Hardly, but perhaps one can adopt some of their habits.  And Buettner says one doesn’t have to follow all of them; there’s a mix that will work for each of us.

(He asked me to mention that he got funding from National Geographic and Allianz Insurance.  Having met others who rely on grants, I consider it an honorable request.)

With help from the University of Minnesota, Buettner offers an online quiz you can give yourself.  Give it a look; it’s HERE.