Longevity Secrets from Around the World
(Photo: Stocksy)
Across the globe, the longevity of people is steadily lengthening. Female life expectancy, which exceeds that of males by a narrowing margin, has climbed by approximately three months per year for the last 160 years. In 1840 in Sweden, for instance, the leading country for enjoying a long life at the time, life expectancy was about 45 years; in 2014 in Japan, a current leader in producing centenarians, it was 84, almost four decades longer.
This astounding increase in lifespan is most likely the result of worldwide improvements in sanitation, nutrition, education, and medicine. While you might expect that the United States, one of the wealthiest and most technologically advanced countries in the world, would be at the top of the “best places to live for longevity” list, in fact it ranks an unimpressive 53, sinking over the last three decades from number 11. The populations of Andorra, Japan, France, Spain, Singapore, Guam, Greece, and Jordan, among many others, today lead longer lives than do Americans.
Behaviors Linked to Longevity
Tiny Andorra, a mountainous country wedged between Spain and France, currently boasts the longest life expectancy in the world, with people likely to live until they’re 83. Meanwhile, Americans’ best prospects hover at about 79.
So what would help? Dan Buettner presents some cogent answers in his book,Blue Zones: Lessons From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest, whose research was funded by the National Geographic Society and the National Institute on Aging. He identifies four areas of the world where small populations are living notably longer than average: the Barbagia region of Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Loma Linda, California, restricted to a community of Seventh Day Adventists; and the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica. In each place which he dubs a Blue Zone, people are reaching age 100 more frequently than the rest of us, and, on average, leading longer, healthier lives.
In the course of his research, Buettner identified a number of key behaviors and practices that these regional cultures have in common. Notable among them are:
A regular, natural tendency to be active (like the Sardinian man who walks six miles a day while working on his farm)
A habit of eating less than average (as in the Okinawan practice of hara hachi bu, which dictates that you should eat until your stomach is 80 percent full)
A plant-based diet (like the Seventh Day Adventists’ strict vegetarian and nut-heavy regimen)
Active participation in a community (faith-based or familial)
A plan de vida, or life purpose
By virtue of their cultural heritage, the people in the Blue Zones naturally fulfill these criteria. As it applies to those of us outside these special regions, Buettner’s research reconfirms what we’ve known for decades: You’ll lead a healthier, longer life if you make an effort to eat well, exercise, be connected to those around you, and maintain a positive outlook.
Of course, more goes into the equation than what we can control as individuals. “Making it to age 100 is a bit of a poker game,” says Buettner, “and the ante is a reasonable public healthcare system.” Cutting-edge medical practices are not necessarily essential, Buettner says, as the longevity of Blue Zone centenarians has little to do with state-of-the-art hospitals. But basic medical care, including vaccinations, is indeed an important part of having a shot at a long life.
Longevity and Genetics
While people in long-lived families might like to believe otherwise, Buettner thinks that our genetic heritage doesn’t necessarily have much bearing on how well we live out our potential life expectancy. “The average person ought to be able to hit 90 or 95,” he says, “while some people hit the genetic lottery and reach 100.”
Research conducted so far suggests, however, that genes do play a role in survival to extreme old age. For example, a 2014 study in the Journal of Gerontology, studied the Okinawans and found that siblings of centenarians were three times more likely to live to 100 and beyond. The exact extent to which genetics dictates length of life is still being determined. The National Institute on Aging, for one, currently supports studies of long-lived families to addresses this issue.
Longevity and Education
Scientists agree that education is another weighty matter when it comes to longevity. A 2014 paper in BMC Public Health documents a relationship between the number of years spent in school and length of life. Life expectancy for a 25-year-old South Korean went up 16 years for men and 8 years for women who attended college or higher compared to those who didn’t.
While this effect has been documented, the reasons behind it still aren’t clear. Some scientists theorize that schooling bestows the ability to delay gratification — a necessary skill for living healthily. Those who live for the moment, it seems, are much more likely to smoke, drink, and eat in excess. Others make the argument that it’s not specifically classroom hours but rather engagement in stimulating activities that leads to a longer life.
“Education is our word for ongoing learning,” Buettner says. “In Okinawa, we spent time with a 102-year-old karate master who was continuing to progress in his practice. Schooling is a concrete way to measure these things, but there are lots of ways to engage in ongoing education. Volunteering for the right organization can have that effect as well.”
Longevity and Attitude
Personality plays into the secret of centenarians’ long lives, as much as what they eat and how much they move. In fact, a 2012 study in Aging suggests that traits such as conscientiousness, extraversion, optimism — which many over 100 share — may contribute to their successful aging.
Related: The 8 Best Places to Retire
Your outlook on life may also determine how long that life is, as well. Are you pessimistic about what it’s like to grow old? If so, your attitude might shorten your life. A Journal of Personality and Social Psychology study found that elderly people with more positive attitudes about aging live an average of 7.5 years longer than those who subscribe to more negative stereotypes about advanced age.
Longevity and Globalization
The life-enhancing habits found in the Blue Zones are at risk of being swallowed up by globalization. “Okinawans traditionally sit on the floor — so they’re getting up and down 80 or 90 times a day,” says Buettner. “Well, that’s like doing 90 squats daily — at 90 years old. The effect has been measured, and it’s huge.”
In recent years, though, the American model of comfort, complete with plush living-room furniture, has infiltrated this part of Japan. Modern Okinawan homes are outfitted with chairs and couches, a trend that threatens to greatly reduce the mobility of the culture’s elderly.
Meanwhile, U.S. society strays even further from healthy ideals. “Americans are becoming more and more isolated — we’re increasingly using electronics as our way to connect — and we know isolation lowers your life expectancy,” says Buettner. “For the past 60 years, we’ve built horrible communities for longevity: The suburbs are the absolute wrong way to develop if maximizing richness of life and health is a goal.”
Increase Your Own Longevity
Today, the best hope for longevity in the United States rests largely on an individual level — on your own ability to alter your habits, no matter how old you are. The good news is that mortality risk is adjustable, even late in life: For smokers who kick the habit after age 65, for instance, life expectancy extends up to 2 years for men and 4 years for women, according to a 2002 American Journal of Public Health study.
Even if you don’t reside in a Blue Zone, it’s never too late to start living as though you do.
By Kaitlyn Moore, Everyday Health
Additional reporting by Carey Rossi.
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