Pay attention to the stories and embrace the science

Have you heard of “Blue Zones”?

These parts of the world are known for having citizens who live unusually long and healthy lives.

Some of these locations may sound familiar:

Okinawa, Japan (home of Mr. Miyagi Karate!). Sardinia, Italy. Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica. Greek island of Ikaria.

These areas have a higher proportion of people living longer due to local whole-food diets, high vegetable consumption, low incidence of disease, rich social interactions, low stress and adequate physical activity.

Books, documentaries, and countless news articles have championed these societies, and millions of health-conscious people have emulated their lifestyles.

Just one There is a problem with this fantastic story.

This is actually not true.

The first Ig Nobel Prize in Demography

Last month, Dr. Saul Justin Newman won the first “Ig Nobel Prize” in demography.

These awards are awarded annually to scientific research that “makes people laugh, and then think.”

Newman received this special award for debunking nearly all research findings related to blue zones.

Here’s what Dr. Newman found:

“High levels of poverty, a lack of birth certificates and a decline in the number of 90-year-olds are expected to lead to the highest rates of very old age.

Poverty and the pressure to commit pension fraud proved to be excellent indicators of reaching age 100 and above, in a manner “contrary to rational expectations”.

It turns out that most of the “very old, healthy” people in these blue zones are simply NumberPoor record keeping, pension fraud and blatant lyingNumber.

Let’s see what happened in Okinawa:

“Although vegetables and sweet potatoes are promoted as key components of Okinawa’s ‘blue zone’ diet, Okinawans eat the least vegetables and sweet potatoes in Japan but have the highest body mass index, according to the Japanese government.”

Oh oh oh. So, what on earth do we do now?

Beware of anecdotal narratives that make dramatic promises

Spend enough time on social media and you’ll stumble upon people telling you about eating only meat, eliminating carbs completely, how “this supplement saved their life,” or doing XYZ cured their disease, etc.

These anecdotal stories, especially when they include a villain, a victim, and a hero who overcame adversity, are incredibly powerful. They also often sell you the solution in pill or powder form.

The good news is that our data are constantly being improved by science.

we don’t actually We don’t need to know what Okinawans eat or study the daily habits of a particular community in Costa Rica.

Don’t get me wrong, I also love whimsical stories about the habits of distant lands, but it still comes back to reality and science!

We can remember that we need to do our best For our special situation. This may include NumbertreatNumberwhich may include Numberweight loss pillsNumberit might include just focusing on sleep now!

It’s up to us to decide, and we can do so with confidence. Not because that’s what happens in Costa Rica or Greece, but because that’s what’s best for us.

Here are some ways we can positively impact our longevity and/or health.

Yes, some of this stuff is part of the “blue zone diet”…just without the sensationalism and pension fraud.

Many of these may be beyond our control!

For example, Numbersocial determinants of healthNumber (financial stability, access to health care, education, our communities) are strongly associated with all-cause mortality, and many of these things may not be accessible to large segments of the population.

life is chaotic

I don’t bring this up to tell you to avoid blue zone diets.

Heck, you could do worse than eating the Mediterranean diet! certainly If you eat mostly fresh fish, whole foods, and vegetables, you’ll likely lose weight and feel healthier.

I bring all this up to remind you that life is messy.

Healthy longevity is made up of dozens of interconnected things (like those listed above), thousands of decisions we make throughout our lives, add Things like genetics, society, and luck! What works for one person may not work for the next person, and there is no “one diet fits all” solution to our problems.

We could get hit by a bus tomorrow, be diagnosed with cancer despite “doing everything right,” or experience NumberA freak accident that changes everythingNumber next week.

So instead of seeking immortality through sensational anecdotes or getting swept up in the latest social media trend…

We can focus on those things that we are very confident will make us better off tomorrow than we are today.

Just like the things on the list above! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to do some push-ups, eat some vegetables, and take a brisk walk while I call a friend.

-Steve

PS A tip of the hat to my friend Jodi Ettenberger, whose heartbreakingly powerful story of acceptance I linked above. It turned out to be Numberher newsletterNumber Which brings me to this article!

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