By Matt Worthy, Founder of ScienceBod.com. An excerpt from my soon-to-be-released book on diet and aging.

Live Like A Centenarian

Around the world, there are unique areas called “Blue Zones”. A Blue Zone is a term made famous by National Geographic author Dan Buettner in his book The Blue Zones. These areas are unique because, on average, their citizens live an extraordinarily long time. In particular, the Blue Zones host an uncommonly large number of centenarians. Researchers have converged on the Blue Zones to discover the secrets of their inhabitants. Is it their genes? Is it their diet? Is it their exercise habits? Is it their overall lifestyle? Is it something in the water?

The truth is that it is a combination of all of the above. Diet is a major component of the Blue Zoners’ exceptional longevity. By studying the diets of the various Blue Zones, scientists have been able to tease out common denominators. We can take cues from the Blue Zones to help determine the best diet for ourselves. World-renowned longevity researcher and director of The Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California, Dr. Valter Longo states, “Nutrition is clearly the most important factor you can take control of to affect how long you live, whether you will be diagnosed with certain major diseases, and whether you will be active and strong or sedentary and frail in old age.” [i]

The regions typically acknowledged as Blue Zones around the world are Sardinia in the Mediterranean, the Japanese island of Okinawa, the Seventh-Day Adventist redoubt of Loma Linda in Southern California, the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, and the idyllic Greek island of Ikaria in the Aegean Sea. All of the Blue Zones, except one, as can be seen in the table below, report fruits and vegetables as comprising a substantial portion of their diet. Moreover, all of the Blue Zones describe eating diets comprised almost entirely of unprocessed food.

The diet in the one Blue Zone that does not feature fruits and vegetables as a staple of its diet – Sardinia – is a bit of a special case. In Sardinia, the astounding longevity only applies to males and appears almost exclusively in just one of the four provinces, called Nuoro. Nuoro is a remote and mountainous area. In the highlands of Nuoro, shepherding is the primary occupation. Traditionally, men were mostly shepherds constantly traversing the ups and downs of the high terrain while women were primarily responsible for domestic tasks. Some experts theorize that the continuous vigorous activity required by shepherding, more than diet, may account for the longevity of Sardinian males. [ii]

In all of the other Blue Zones, there is a greater degree of balance between the lifestyles of the male and female populations and a greater balance in the numbers of male and female centenarians. Below is a table presenting a cross-section of dietary habits of the Blue Zones compiled from some of the many research surveys that have been conducted to understand what it is about their diets that might have helped them to achieve such exceptional longevity. [iii]^{, [iv]. [v], [vi], [vii], [viii], [ix]}

Notice that the Blue Zones all share an avoidance of sweets. Given our discussion of sugar’s many negative effects on our bodies, this provides some additional real-world validation of the idea that a low-sugar lifestyle can significantly impact our lives for the better by contributing to enhanced longevity. Furthermore, none of the Blue Zones’ diets feature meat as a staple. Contrast this with the diets of many nations in the Western world where a meal is not considered complete without a helping of some kind of meat. If you are an American, you might recall the famous 1990’s advertising campaign, “Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner” from the National Livestock and Meat Board. That advertisement achieved 88% brand recognition in the United States. [x] It is still considered almost an unpatriotic sin by some in America to opt for a green salad instead of meat for a meal. A few weeks ago, for example, I ate a green salad for lunch at work and was mocked by my coworker for it.

My coworker and fellow Americans might be surprised to realize that the latest research has established that too much protein, especially from animal sources, can activate genetic pathways that are problematic for healthspan. A 2014 study out of the University of Southern California reported, “A comparative review of all major US and Swedish cohort studies indicates a positive correlation between the high intake of animal-derived protein and adverse long-term side effects that manifest as chronic and aging-related disease.” [xi] Another report in 2016, also out of the University of Southern California, reviewed two studies that evaluated a total of nearly 130,000 people over the course of 26 years and 20 years respectively. The researchers determined, “When macronutrient intake was evaluated, diets high in animal-based protein and fats and low in carbohydrates were associated with the higher cases of mortality for both men and women. In contrast, vegetable-based low carbohydrate diets resulted in the lowest mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality rates for both men and women.” [xii]

As with many health-related issues, the answer is often “it depends.” Want to build muscle? More protein is typically recommended. Want to live longer? The evidence indicates that high protein consumption may not be the best idea. However, according to the work of Dr. Longo and others, there is also evidence that protein consumption ought to increase in the older population.

What is your experience? What do you think it takes to live like a centenarian?

Works Cited

[i] Valter Longo, The Longevity Diet : Discover the New Science Behind Stem Cell Activation and Regeneration to Slow Aging, Fight Disease, and Optimize Weight (New York: Avery, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2018).

[ii] M. Poulain, G. Pes, and L. Salaris, “A Population Where Men Live as Long as Women: Villagrande Strisaili, Sardinia,” J Aging Res 2011 (2011).

[iii] D. B. Panagiotakos et al., “Sociodemographic and Lifestyle Statistics of Oldest Old People (>80 Years) Living in Ikaria Island: The Ikaria Study,” Cardiol Res Pract 2011 (2011).

[iv] A. Foscolou et al., “Lifestyle and Health Determinants of Cardiovascular Disease among Greek Older Adults Living in Eastern Aegean Islands: An Adventure within the Medis Study,” Hellenic J Cardiol 57, no. 6 (2016).

[v] A. Momi-Chacón, Capitán-Jiménez, C., & Campos, H. , “Dietary Habits and Lifestyle among Long-Lived Residents from the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica,” Revista Hispanoamericana De Ciencias De La Salud 3, no. 2 (2017).

[vi] R. L. Phillips, “Role of Life-Style and Dietary Habits in Risk of Cancer among Seventh-Day Adventists,” Cancer Res 35, no. 11 Pt. 2 (1975).

[vii] Eliza Barclay, “Eating to Break 100: Longevity Diet Tips from the Blue Zones,” npr.org, https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/04/11/398325030/eating-to-break-100-longevity-diet-tips-from-the-blue-zones.

[viii] D. C. Willcox, G. Scapagnini, and B. J. Willcox, “Healthy Aging Diets Other Than the Mediterranean: A Focus on the Okinawan Diet,” Mech Ageing Dev 136-137 (2014).

[ix] G. M. Pes et al., “Male Longevity in Sardinia, a Review of Historical Sources Supporting a Causal Link with Dietary Factors,” Eur J Clin Nutr 69, no. 4 (2015).

[x] “Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner.,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef._It%27s_What%27s_for_Dinner.

[xi] Mirzaei, Suarez, and Longo, “Protein and Amino Acid Restriction, Aging and Disease: From Yeast to Humans.”

[xii] H. Mirzaei, R. Raynes, and V. D. Longo, “The Conserved Role of Protein Restriction in Aging and Disease,” Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care 19, no. 1 (2016).