Blue Zones and You
When Gianni Pes and Michel Poulain identified Sardinia as a region where people grow old and live happily, they drew a circle on the map around the area and named it the blue zone. As their study grew, they identified other regions with the same effect as Sardinia, which led to the term “blue zones.” Blue zones are, in short, regions in the world where people live longer than the average person. As we saw in the previous chapter, most of these blue zones have similar lifestyles. As of yet, there are only five blue zones across the globe, with many initiatives to transform other regions into blue zones as well. While many believe that good genetics is the cause of a long life, genetics can’t take credit for the whole thing. Things like diet, exercise, and mental health play a large role in longevity and a fulfilled life.
The five blue zones are:
• Loma Linda, California, United States
• Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
• Ikaria, Greece
• Okinawa, Japan
• Sardinia, Italy
Each of these areas shares some remarkable similarities in diet and nutrition, daily movement and activity, family and social relationships, a sense of purpose and meaning in life, and a spiritual belief in a force or power greater than themselves.
Not only do blue zone residents have longer life spans than the rest of the world, they have remarkably lower levels of metabolic diseases like diabetes, cardiac disease, obesity, fatty liver disease, and gout. They display lower levels of mental disorders such as depression and anxiety and generally live happier and more fulfilled lives.
The country of Italy is among the top world countries in terms of longevity and health and brings its own “twist” when it comes to diet and nutrition, cultural activities, daily activity, and exercise, family and social relationships, and a sense of purpose, meaning, and belonging. When compared to Italy, the United States (the wealthiest country in the world) is far behind Italy and the other blue zone areas. There are definite reasons why. But the good thing about it is that all, regardless of ethnicity or geographic location, have the ability to make our own little worlds a blue zone.