by: Trina Justmann Reichert

Okinawans have the longest disability-free life expectancy in the world and live, on average, seven years longer than most Americans, according to a Blue Zones study.

They experience one-fifth the rate of breast and colon cancer and one-sixth the rate of cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, 80 percent of Americans older than 60 will develop one of these three diseases in their lifetime. In 2006, cardiovascular disease accounted for $403 billion in medical costs.

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