#1
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Blue Zones: Worth watching on Netflix and book is available on Amazon (Longevity Extension)
#2

They have that same look-- overweight and melting–as most people their age.

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If that’s the look of longevity, I don’t want it.

I think I’d rather look like Morjorie Newlin, who had a killer body at 86 and suddenly died at 87.

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#3

I agree - I think the Blue Zones view on aging is still “old school” aging. The “new school” is keep visceral fat to a minimum, stay active, and take longevity drugs as appropriate, and adopt new longevity therapeutics when you can, and I think we’ll have much healthier and longer lives.

If you don’t want to do the extra effort that the above statement implies, thats fine - default to “blue zones” living.

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#4

My next-door neighbor had that Sardinian centenarian look, but worse. She had lived in Panama for a large part of her youth and her neck sagged so much that it hung down to her chest. It was horrifying. She was the poster child for sunscreen.

But, I have to say, her diet was excellent. She cooked for me a few times. Lots of highly colored vegetables, lots of raw. Nothing processed or refined.

She made it to 99, harassing and annoying everyone in the neighborhood, and only the last two years were low-quality.

It’s better to be a gym rat.

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#5

Here are details about the Sardinian diet–cheese with maggots, bread with clay, and all.

It looks to me that living in a high elevation area is one key to their success.

#6

Well some of them chase goats up and down the hills all day.

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#7

I find the Blue Zones very interesting and fun to think about, but in most articles I read about them the authors tend to list speculation of things that “may contribute” to their longevity. It’s all conjecture, and the confounders are so numerous as to make any conclusions or useful take-aways all but impossible. Add to that the shaky nature of how old these people actually are when they pass (how much can we trust the records?), and I’m pretty skeptical.

That being said I have a feeling that one aspect of these zones is just the shared culture of a more relaxed, group-oriented lifestyle. I know that if I wasn’t caught up in the rat race (high speed life of modern societies. social media, etc.) and I felt significantly more connected to a group I’d be happier and have less stress, which means lower cortisol, better food choices, etc. So now I’m just speculating, ha.

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#8

There is also a question as to whether people who cannot cope with walking up.and down hills move elsewhere before dying. The walking up and down is good, however.

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#9

Id say they are mostly similar with active life style, and healthy diets with low amounts of processed foods.

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#10

We know it’s not genetics but based on lifestyle. Probably low stress and social ties are what’s doing it. These people enjoy living and want to keep going on. And they’re typically happy.

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#11

Good diet and physical activity doesn’t hurt either.

@arugula I watched this documentary yesterday and I found most of the centenarians quite mobile, agile and sound minded. I would gladly be most of the centenarians in the show. You really do put a lot of emphasis on looks which I believe is not so important and most of these centenarians look 10,20 years younger if we are talking about looks. I remember my great grandmother who was 98 and she was also similar to these centenarians, she was active, walked a lot, kept a garden, cooked and read, kept social ties and one afternoon she just didn’t wake up from her nap with her favorite book in her lap. It is the best way to go I believe.

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#12

I know someone who moved out of one of the blue zones because they could not cope with the hills. I think the exercise is an important issue, but if you drop out the people who cannot cope then that will skew the outcomes. (it may also create an element of genetic selection).

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