Health · Medical Research · 8 hrs ago
Dan Buettner says daily surroundings may support long life
Dan Buettner interviewed more than 500 people who lived to 100 or older as part of his research into longevity.
He says none credited their age to a special diet or specific knowledge.
Buettner has spent 20 years studying so-called Blue Zones, communities where he says life expectancy is above average and centenarians are relatively common.
They include places in Italy, Japan, Greece, the United States and Costa Rica.
He argues that everyday surroundings can make healthy habits part of routine, rather than requiring constant effort and willpower.
Those habits may include movement, food, rest, stress management, social ties and a sense of purpose, but the interviews do not prove these factors cause longer lives.
The findings offer observations about aging, not a medically proven formula or a guarantee of living longer.
Dan Buettner says everyday surroundings may help people maintain habits associated with long life.
He based his observations on interviews with more than 500 centenarians, none of whom, he said, knew exactly how they had reached 100.
Buettner has studied communities known as Blue Zones for 20 years.
The communities he names are in Italy, Japan, Greece, the United States and Costa Rica.
The article cautions that his observations do not establish a proven medical formula or show that the habits directly cause longer life.
- Who
- Dan Buettner, a journalist and researcher, and the centenarians he interviewed.
- What
- Buettner argues that everyday surroundings may support habits associated with longevity.
- When
- Not stated
- Where
- The Blue Zones he studied include Sardinia, Okinawa, Ikaria, Loma Linda and the Nicoya Peninsula.
- Why
- Buettner says daily routines and surroundings can make healthy habits part of life without constant conscious decisions.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
This story does not have a timeline yet.
- Centenarians interviewed
- More than 500
- Study duration
- 20 years
- Italy
- Sardinia
- Japan
- Okinawa
- Greece
- Ikaria
- Costa Rica
- Nicoya Peninsula
What people are saying
I have interviewed more than 500 centenarians and not one of them really knows how they reached 100 years old
The secret is that they live in environments that do not depend on their conscious decisions. They simply live their lives