Want to live to be 100? Helen Foster finds out what we can learn from people who live the longest, healthiest lives
*BASED ON LIFE EXPECTANCY AT BIRTH
IN THE UK FROM 2018 TO 2020
At 81 years*, we may have a long life expectancy in the UK, but we also have soaring rates of age-related disease. So what can we learn from the few pockets of the world where ‘super-agers’ are still fit and well into their 90s, and even centenarians hike up hills and have a very low risk of developing dementia, heart disease and cancer?
Recently, researchers hailed the Tsimane, a long-living Bolivian tribe, as having the healthiest hearts ever studied. But they aren’t the first society to confound ageing expectations.
The people of the so-called ‘Blue Zones’ don’t just live a long time, they also have lower rates of diabetes, heart disease and dementia. These include Barbagia in Sardinia; Pioppi and Acciaroli in Italy; Ikaria in Greece (nicknamed ‘the island where people forget to die’); Okinawa in Japan; the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica; and Loma Linda in California.
In 2010, US journalist Dan Buettner analysed the lifestyles of people living in these Blue Zones to discover the secret of their longevity. ‘Remarkably, no matter where I found long-lived populations, I found similar habits and work practices,’ he says.
And since Buettner’s groundbreaking work, teams of researchers and scientists have been busy gathering information and producing research about these societies, which will help the rest of us live a long, healthy life. If you want to join the super-agers, here’s the lowdown.
RULE 1: USE MORE HERBS AND SPICES
The world’s long-living populations consume garlic, turmeric and ginger regularly, while researchers believe that the high levels of rosemary in the diet of people living in Acciaroli, Italy, may be a key reason why they reach such a healthy old age.
The active ingredient in rosemary is rosmarinic acid, which is very anti-inflammatory and antioxidant; plus the herb also contains compounds that may promote good joint health and aid memory and mental clarity.
RULE 2: EAT STARCHY PLANTS
None of the super-ageing populations shun carbohydrates; in fact, they embrace them – but not the refined, white carbohydrates or sugars that we eat. Instead, they consume a lot of starchy plants. ‘The Tsimane, for example, consume plantains and cassava,’ says Professor Hillard Kaplan, who studies the tribe at the University of New Mexico in the US. The Nicoyan diet is high in squash and yam, while Okinawans favour purple sweet potatoes.
RULE 3: TRY FASTING
‘There’s some evidence that occasional fasting may stave off dementia by keeping blood vessels healthy, and it may spur brain-cell growth,’ says Dan Buettner. ‘Fasting is fair
