Maybe it’s the healthy habits associated with them, or perhaps it’s because of the Netflix documentary about them. One way or another, you’ve likely heard of the “blue zones” before. Blue zones are areas in the world that are said to have an especially high density of centenarians and people living beyond the average life expectancy. The concept sounds simple enough, but some are pushing back and asking: Are blue zones real?
What are ‘blue zones’?
Research into these special zones began in the 1990s when Gianni Pes, a medical doctor, presented data suggesting that Sardinia, Italy, had a high concentration of residents surpassing the age of 100. He soon joined forces with demographer Michel Poulain, who helped fact-check the claims. Separately, Dan Buettner was busy doing research of his own on places with older-than-average populations. After sharing some of his insights in a “National Geographic” piece, he started working with Pes and Poulain, leading to the blue zones many of us are familiar with today.
These days, the three no longer work together, and they’ve diverged in defining which zones are “blue” or not. According to Poulain, Sardinia; Okinawa, Japan; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; and the French territory of Martinique are counted as blue zones. Meanwhile, Buettner doesn’t recognize Martinique as a blue zone but has instead highlighted Loma Linda in California and Singapore as possible blue zones.
Besides some disagreement over where the blue zones actually are, there’s also disagreement over whether they’re legit or just pop-sci BS.
Some are skeptical of blue zones
Skepticism toward the blue zones has existed ever since they were first proposed, when Gianni Pes initially claimed that Sardinia had a large number of centenarians. Pes shared with Science that one of the most respected demographers in the world questioned the data when it was introduced in 1999 and thought that the residents counted were “false centenarians.”
Now, over 25 years later, new claims are coming out against the blue zone research. Saul Justin Newman, a senior research fellow at the Center for Longitudinal Studies at University College London, discovered that many of the world’s oldest-living people weren’t really as old as they claimed — if they were still alive at all. “I found that they all came from poor areas that generally had terrible outcomes at old age, that had some of the worst life expectancies of their countries,” Newman told The New York Times. “Every indication was that these high densities of supercentenarians were just down to poverty and fraud.” Ouch.
The researcher published his own study debunking the blue zones and arguing that 100 or so years ago, record-keeping was shoddy in places like Okinawa and Ikaria. Moreover, some families may never report deaths so they can continue collecting pension money, according to Newman and other critics.
So, what should you believe?
Saul Justin Newman may have an interesting point when it comes to the blue zones, but it’s one that you might want to take with a grain of salt. For one, his study hasn’t been peer-reviewed and published in a reputable journal yet, calling the legitimacy of his claims into question. Dan Buettner’s team also published a written response to Newman and other naysayers, insisting that their data has already been fully validated, at least for Okinawa, Sardinia, Ikaria, and Nicoya. They state, “[Newman] argues that the excessive number of centenarians and supercentenarians in non-blue zone areas is due to poor demographic records, which is often the case. However, he ignores the fact that this criticism does not apply to blue zones, where ages have been rigorously validated with modern, accurate demographic methodology.”
Healthy habits from the blue zones to follow
No matter which side you believe, one thing is hard to argue against: Many of the healthy lifestyle habits associated with the blue zones are still worth following. Dan Buettner’s team came up with its “Power 9” list of healthy behaviors inspired by the blue zones. They include:
- Move Naturally (incorporate natural movement into your daily routine)
- Purpose (such as the Japanese concept of ikigai)
- Downshift (utilize rituals and behaviors that reduce stress)
- 80% Rule (eat only until you feel 80% full)
- Plant Slant (fill your diet with plants, not meat)
- Wine @ 5 (drink moderately, though don’t overdo it in one sitting)
- Belong (join a faith-based community or other social group)
- Loved Ones First (live near and spend time with family members)
- Right Tribe (maintain a friend group that encourages healthy habits)
These healthy behaviors are thought to make the blue zones special — not the locations themselves. Therefore, even if there is data to prove that certain spots are exceptional, they might not be that way for long if younger generations don’t follow in their elders’ footsteps. As Buettner told The New York Times, “I think you’re going to expect to see all these blue zones gone within a generation or even a half a generation.”