the blue zones

dan buettner

Dan Buettner, Blue Zones founder, is a National Geographic Fellow and multiple New York Times bestselling author. He has discovered five places in the world – dubbed blue zones – where people live the longest, and are healthiest: Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece, and Loma Linda, California.

Identifying the Blue Zones

The concept of blue zones grew out of the demographic work done by Gianni Pes and Michel Poulain outlined in the Journal of Experimental Gerontology, identifying Sardinia as the region of the world with the highest concentration of male centenarians.

what is a centenarian?

A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100 years. The term is invariably associated with longevity. The United Nations in 2012 estimated that there were 316,600 living centenarians worldwide.

Pes and Poulain drew concentric blue circles on the map highlighting these villages of extreme longevity and began to refer to this area inside the circle as the blue zone. Building on that demographic work, Dan pinpointed other longevity hotspots around the world and dubbed them blue zones. Blue Zones® is now a trademark of Blue Zones, LLC, and reflects the lifestyle and the environment of the world’s longest-lived people.

Ultimately, Dan and the team of demographers and researchers found that all blue zones areas share nine specific lifestyle habits that we call the Power 9®.

Dan’s adventure – and all that he learned – is chronicled in his book The Blue Zones, as well as the follow-up The Blue Zones Solution. The books became New York Times best-sellers and drew worldwide media attention. The subsequent best-sellers Thrive and Blue Zones of Happiness takes a Blue Zones approach to solve another mystery: Why are the world’s happiest places the happiest?

Blue Zones is now dedicated to creating healthy communities across the United States. The first effort, in Albert Lea, Minnesota, was a “stunning” success, and formed the blueprint for our Blue Zones Projects.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”---- Margaret mead

Margaret Mead was an American cultural anthropologist who featured frequently as an author and speaker in the mass media during the 1960s and the 1970s.

America’s Calling for Community Well-Being

As America comes out of COVID-19, now is the time to take a close and deliberate look at our community resilience that is jeopardized by acute and long-term population health challenges, health inequities and local and national economic volatility.

This is where BLUE ZONES comes in. For over 20 years, we have been on the ground in hundreds of American Cities co-creating and implementing evidence-informed Community Well-Being programs to create sustainable, system-level solutions that improve population health and economic vitality. We partner with public and private sector leaders to increase the well-being of cities leading to greater stability, improved health equity and increased resilience.

As we create a new pathway to a new future, we see a time where we can empower everyone, everywhere live longer, better through Community Well-Being. Together, we will shine a bright and positive national light on the cities and leaders we partner with as great places to live, work and play.

secrets of longevity

Life expectancy of an American born today averages 78.2 years. But this year, over 70,000 Americans have reached their 100th birthday. What are they doing that the average American isn’t?

To answer the question, we teamed up with National Geographic to find the world’s longest-lived people and study them. We knew most of the answers lied within their lifestyle and environment (The Danish Twin Study established that only about 20% of how long the average person lives is determined by genes). Then we worked with a team of demographers to find pockets of people around the world with the highest life expectancy, or with the highest proportions of people who reach age 100.

Barbagia region of Sardinia – Mountainous highlands of inner Sardinia with the world’s highest concentration of male centenarians.
Ikaria, Greece – Aegean Island with one of the world’s lowest rates of middle age mortality and the lowest rates of dementia.
Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica – World’s lowest rates of middle age mortality, second highest concentration of male centenarians.
Seventh Day Adventists – Highest concentration is around Loma Linda, California. They live 10 years longer than their North American counterparts.
Okinawa, Japan – Females over 70 are the longest-lived population in the world.

Blue Zones Power 9: Lifestyle Habits of the World’s Healthiest, Longest-Lived People

Move Naturally

The world’s longest-lived people don’t pump iron, run marathons or join gyms. Instead, they live in environments that constantly nudge them into moving without thinking about it. They grow gardens and don’t have mechanical conveniences for house and yard work.

Purpose

The Okinawans call it “Ikigai” and the Nicoyans call it “plan de vida;” for both it translates to “why I wake up in the morning.” Knowing your sense of purpose is worth up to seven years of extra life expectancy.

Downshift

Even people in the Blue Zones experience stress. Stress leads to chronic inflammation, associated with every major age-related disease. What the world’s longest-lived people have that we don’t are routines to shed that stress. Okinawans take a few moments each day to remember their ancestors, Adventists pray, Ikarians take a nap and Sardinians do happy hour.

80% Rule

“Hara hachi bu” – the Okinawan, 2500-year old Confucian mantra said before meals reminds them to stop eating when their stomachs are 80 percent full. The 20% gap between not being hungry and feeling full could be the difference between losing weight or gaining it. People in the blue zones eat their smallest meal in the late afternoon or early evening and then they don’t eat any more the rest of the day.

Plant Slant

Beans, including fava, black, soy and lentils, are the cornerstone of most centenarian diets. Meat—mostly pork—is eaten on average only five times per month. Serving sizes are 3-4 oz., about the size of a deck of cards.

Wine @ 5

People in all blue zones (except Adventists) drink alcohol moderately and regularly. Moderate drinkers outlive non-drinkers. The trick is to drink 1-2 glasses per day (preferably Sardinian Cannonau wine), with friends and/or with food. And no, you can’t save up all week and have 14 drinks on Saturday.

Belong

All but five of the 263 centenarians we interviewed belonged to some faith-based community. Denomination doesn’t seem to matter. Research shows that attending faith-based services four times per month will add 4-14 years of life expectancy.

Loved Ones First

Successful centenarians in the blue zones put their families first. This means keeping aging parents and grandparents nearby or in the home (It lowers disease and mortality rates of children in the home too.). They commit to a life partner (which can add up to 3 years of life expectancy) and invest in their children with time and love (They’ll be more likely to care for you when the time comes).

Right Tribe

The world’s longest lived people chose–or were born into–social circles that supported healthy behaviors, Okinawans created ”moais”–groups of five friends that committed to each other for life. Research from the Framingham Studies shows that smoking, obesity, happiness, and even loneliness are contagious. So the social networks of long-lived people have favorably shaped their health behaviors.

"The brutal reality about aging is that it has only an accelerator pedal. We have yet to discover whether a brake exists for people." ----dan buettner

the blue zones cookbooks

the blue zones american kitchen

Best-selling Blue Zones Kitchen author Dan Buettner spent years uncovering the Blue Zones--the five places around the world where people consistently live to or past, 100--and sharing lifestyle tips and recipes gleaned from these places. Now, creating your own Blue Zone at home is easier than ever, thanks to plant-forward recipes in this inspiring book--all developed right in our own backyard.

In Blue Zones American Kitchen, Buettner uncovers the traditional roots of plant-forward cuisine in the United States. Following the acumen of heritage cooks who have passed their recipes from generation to generation, Buettner uncovers the regions and cultures that have shaped America's healthiest food landscapes, from among elders living in Minnesota to Quakers in New England.

Along the way, he illuminates both traditional and revolutionary ideas in vegetarian food with recipes from chefs like James Beard Award-winner James Wayman, "the Gullah chef" Bill Green, and "the Cod Chef" Dave Smoke-McCluskey. With wisdom from more than 50 food experts, chefs, and cooks around the country, Buettner's road trip across America sheds light on some of its most under-recognized plant-forward communities as Buettner shares the ingredients, recipes, and lifestyle tips that will make living to 100 both delicious and easy.

And the proof is in the pudding: 49 Blue Zones Project Cities have demonstrated that eating the Blue Zones way can alleviate obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and more. Filled with 100 tasty recipes, from Pennsylvania Dutch apple dumplings to Southern Hoppin' John, Blue Zones American Kitchen will change your diet--and your life.

the blue zones kitchen

Best-selling author Dan Buettner debuts his first cookbook, filled with 100 longevity recipes inspired by the Blue Zones locations around the world, where people live the longest. Building on decades of research, longevity expert Dan Buettner has gathered 100 recipes inspired by the Blue Zones, home to the healthiest and happiest communities in the world.

Each dish–for example, Sardinian Herbed Lentil Minestrone; Costa Rican Hearts of Palm Ceviche; Cornmeal Waffles from Loma Linda, California; and Okinawan Sweet Potatoes–uses ingredients and cooking methods proven to increase longevity, wellness, and mental health.

Complemented by mouthwatering photography, the recipes also include lifestyle tips (including the best times to eat dinner and proper portion sizes), all gleaned from countries as far away as Japan and as near as Blue Zones project cities in Texas. Innovative, easy to follow, and delicious, these healthy living recipes make the Blue Zones lifestyle even more attainable, thereby improving your health, extending your life, and filling your kitchen with happiness.

videos on the blue zones

LIVE TO 100: Secrets of the Blues Zones | Dan Buettner x Rich Roll Podcast

NYT bestselling author Dan Buettner talks about the history of plant-forward cuisine in the US & how these diets can alleviate obesity, heart disease, and more.

Daily habits of people who LIVE LONGER: Blue Zones founder Dan Buettner

As a National Geographic Fellow, multiple New York Times bestselling author, and owner of three Guinness world records for biking, Dan Buettner knows a thing or two about adventure. He sits down with mbg Founder and Co-CEO, Jascon Wachob, to discuss his adventures and what he learned from the “Blue Zones”—the five places in the world where people live the longest and are the healthiest. Tune in to find out what people in the Blue Zones eat for longevity and how they live happier lives. You may be surprised to find that we're doing quite the opposite here in the U.S.

The Italian valley with the secret to long-life – BBC REEL

Blue zones have the highest percentage of centenarians anywhere in the world. Can they tell us the secret to a long and healthy life? In part one of this three-part series, science writer David Robson travels to Sardinia to find out what is so special about its blue zone, talking to the locals about their traditional way of life and their attitudes to ageing.

Centenarians Guide to Longevity: Loma Linda, California

Blue Zones are areas around the world where a high percentage of individuals live to be 100 years old. Today on Million Ways to Live, we visit Loma Linda, the only Blue Zone in North America, where Seventh Day Adventists show the world that healthy living is possible in the modern world.

How do Okinawans live longer than anyone else?

The Okinawa archipelago in Japan is breaking records in terms of long life. Made up of 160 islands bordered by the Pacific Ocean with a subtropical climate, we meet friendly Okinawans who show us why it’s a great place to live (for a very long time).…

in conclusion

To make it to age 100, you have to have won the genetic lottery. But most of us have the capacity to make it well into our early 90’s and largely without chronic disease. As the Adventists demonstrate, the average person’s life expectancy could increase by 10-12 years by adopting a Blue Zones lifestyle.

Pick a principle you want to work on, and then ask yourself what you enjoy doing, what you have access to, when you can make time for it and what's realistic for you, It's a lot easier to stick with something when you have a foundation set for accomplishing it.

If you want to focus on prevention, it starts with making little changes for yourself, we've seen communities where these health-promoting behaviors have made a difference, so why not try to adopt a couple and see if they work for you, too?

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