When Blue Zones researchers set out to identify and study the world’s most extraordinary populations, they were immediately captured by Sardinia, Italy—the “first” blue zones region in the world.
This small Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea is home to the highest concentration of male centenarians on the planet. According to Dan Buettner, Blue Zones founder, “Demographically this region is different because it’s where the men, specifically, live longest. For every one male centenarian in the U.S. there are five women centenarians; in Sardinia, it’s 1:1.”
A rare genetic quirk carried by Sardinia’s inhabitants –the M26 marker—is also linked to longevity, resulting in nearly ten times more centenarians per capita than in the United States.
Good genes aside, Sardinians maintain a respect for tradition and elders, move naturally throughout their days through functional exercise, enjoy their largest meal midday, and take time to downshift.
You don’t have to move to Italy to incorporate elements of the Sardinian lifestyle into your daily routine.
Eat a lean, plant-based diet accented with meat.
The classic Sardinian diet consists of whole-grain bread, beans, garden vegetables, fruits, and, in some parts of the island, mastic oil. Sardinians also traditionally eat pecorino cheese made from grass-fed sheep, whose cheese is high in omega-3 fatty acids. Meat is largely reserved for Sundays and special occasions.
Put family first.
Sardinia’s strong family values help assure that every member of the family is cared for. People who live in strong, healthy families suffer lower rates of depression, suicide, and stress.
Celebrate elders.
Grandparents can provide love, childcare, financial help, wisdom, and expectations/motivation to perpetuate traditions and push children to succeed in their lives. This may all add up to healthier, better adjusted, and longer-lived children. It may give the overall population a life expectancy bump.
Take a walk.
Walking five miles a day or more as Sardinian shepherds do provides all the cardiovascular benefits you might expect, and also has a positive effect on muscle and bone metabolism without the joint-pounding of running marathons or triathlons.
Laugh with friends.
Men in this blue zones region are famous for their sardonic sense of humor. They gather in the street each afternoon to
laugh with and at each other. Laughter reduces stress, which can lower one’s risk of cardiovascular disease.
Drink goat’s milk.
A glass of goat’s milk contains components that might help protect against inflammatory diseases of aging such as heart disease and
Alzheimer’s.