The islands at the southern end of Japan, once called the land of immortals, have been studied for nearly 50 years. Residents of Okinawa have less cancer, heart disease, and dementia than Americans, and women there live longer than any other women on Earth. Over the decades, the lifestyles and genetics of more than 800 centenarians have been well-documented in an effort to answer the question: what is the secret to Okinawan longevity?
Blue Zones Project
Recent posts by Blue Zones Project
4 min read
Drawing Longevity Inspiration from Okinawa, Japan Home to the World’s Longest-Living Women
3 min read
What the residents of Ikaria, Greece can teach us about living longer
In Ikaria, Greece, life is sweet…and very long. Travel to this tiny island in the Aegean Sea and discover the secrets of residents who live eight to ten years longer than Americans, with half the rate of heart disease and almost no dementia.
2 min read
Making healthier choices may be easier for people with strong life purpose
Many studies have sought to understand the correlation between purpose in life and health outcomes. Blue Zones researchers determined that individuals with a strong sense of purpose—a reason to get out of the bed in the morning—can live up to four good years longer than those without.
2 min read
Drawing Longevity Inspiration from Sardinia, Italy Home to the World’s Longest-Living Men
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.
Topics: Blue Zones
4 min read
What the Seventh-day Adventists of Loma Linda, California can teach us about living longer
Pull off the San Bernardino freeway east of Los Angeles and you’ll encounter a community of Adventists teaching us new lessons about the power of faith, friendship and fruit.
America’s only original blue zones region is home to one of the highest concentrations of Seventh-day Adventists in the world. Their faith mandates a healthy lifestyle and acts of service to the church and community, which contributes to their longevity. Adventists in the U.S. live as much as a decade longer than the rest of the country, with much of their longevity attributed to a plant-based diet, regular exercise, and community.
4 min read
Power Up with the Power 9
In 2004, Dan Buettner teamed up with National Geographic, the National Institute on Aging, and the world's best longevity researchers to identify pockets around the world where people lived measurably better, longer. In these five areas, dubbed "blue zones," researchers found that people reach age 100 at a rate that is ten times greater than in the United States and with lower rates of chronic disease.
After locating the world's blue zones areas, Buettner and National Geographic took teams of scientists to each location to pinpoint lifestyle characteristics that might explain the unusual longevity. They found that though the blue zones communities are located in vastly different parts of the world, their residents share nine specific traits that lead to longer, healthier, happier lives. We call these the Power 9
®.
2 min read
The Power of Purpose
When you ask a child what they want to be when they grow up, what response do you get? He or she is likely to respond with big dreams and adventurous ideas such as becoming a sports star, ballerina, or astronaut. Childhood is a time of innocence where any dream is possible, and there are no preconceptions, practical notions, or pressures creeping in to cause feelings of worry or doubt. If a person could approach their entire life with this mentality, it would help free them from constraints, both real and imaginary, that guide their paths and allow them to experience the wonder of what might be. As we age, learn, and grow from life’s lessons, the pursuit of purpose and passion gets lost amidst expectations and responsibility.
1 min read
Engaging Places
Live (Work, Play, Learn) Better, Longer through Blue Zones Project
In blue zones areas, people live longer, healthier lives because their environments make the healthy choice the easy choice. Through Blue Zones Project
® by Sharecare, communities across the United States are adopting practices that replicate these outcomes.
1 min read
Activating People
How Blue Zones Project Enriches Culture and Builds Community
What gets you out of bed every morning? Who in your life supports healthy choices?
Activating people—that is, getting people involved, informed, and excited about their role in a thriving community—is a key component of Blue Zones Project
® by Sharecare, a community-led well-being improvement initiative that helps transform environments for improved well-being.
1 min read
The Life Radius
Where You Live Can Influence How You Live (and How Long)
Residents of the original blue zones areas make healthy choices because those choices are easy, even unavoidable, in their surroundings. That's why Blue Zones Project
® by Sharecare focuses on influencing the
life radius, the area close to home in which people spend 80 percent of their lives.
