Last but not least, Loma Linda is the fifth Blue Zone. It’s been so interesting exploring these different places around the world, and I hope you’ve enjoyed this series, too! So far, I’ve realized that even though the Blue Zones seem to be quite different in their locations and cultures, they definitely share many characteristics, in both the regions and the ways of life. In my initial impression of all the Blue Zones, Loma Linda stood out as potentially being the most unique, so let’s see if this holds true!
Quick facts: Population: around 25,000 Region type: city Geography: located in San Bernardino Valley, east of Los Angeles Fun fact: the city’s motto is "a city focused on health and prosperity" The aspect of Loma Linda that stands out the most is its large concentration of Seventh-day Adventists. According to Buettner, Seventh-day Adventists “lived between seven and 11 years longer than people in its Northern American counterparts.” In particular, their “Garden of Eden'' diet, which is essentially a plant-based diet, may contribute to a healthier lifestyle. The group also abstains from coffee and alcohol. Perhaps one of the most important practices is sabbath: no matter how busy they are, people will take a break from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday to spend time with family, connect with God and nature, self-reflect. This strong connection to church and community is essential in promoting wellness. A strong community has been evident across all the Blue Zones, but a common, specific faith makes Loma Linda particularly stand out. It could be that sharing these beliefs makes community connections run even deeper.
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Happy New Year, everyone! Thinking back to one year ago, I definitely could not have predicted how this year would turn out. Nevertheless, together, we’ve been able to get through some of the toughest times, and 2021 brings hope for the future. To start off this year’s posts, I will explore the fourth Blue Zone: Nicoya, Costa Rica.
Quick facts: Population: around 161,000 Region type: consists of two provinces (Guanacaste and Puntarenas) Geography: 80-mile long peninsula Fun fact: in Nicoya, men have a higher chance of becoming centenarians than women! Living in a tropical and sunny area could be a factor in the Nicoyans’ secret to living longer. The consistent sunshine helps the body produce vitamin d, which is important in the regulation of calcium and bone health. Furthermore, the water in Nicoya has a very high calcium content, which could also help in creating strong bones and therefore less falls and injuries related to frailty. Diet also contributes to the overall health of Nicoyans. Many Nicoyans follow the Mesoamerican diet, which highlights corn, squash, and beans. Other foods common in this diet include plantains, papaya, pejibaye (peach palm fruit), and yams. All these foods are highly nutritious, providing vitamins and antioxidants. Nicoya shares aspects of lifestyle that are common to most of the Blue Zones so far, like social connections, physical activity, and purpose for living. The concept that Nicoyans embrace is called plan de vida, similar to ikigai in Okinawa. However, such a ‘life plan’ doesn't have to be something grand or exceptional. In fact, most elderly focus on the simplicities of daily life, perhaps teaching their grandchildren about the way of life or checking in on their neighbors, to thrive into old age. Wow, time definitely flies! I can’t believe Thanksgiving just ended, and there’s only about one month until a new year. This year, I’m especially thankful to be healthy. I’m also grateful for this blog, and YOU, reading right now!
Ikaria is the third blue zone I will be discussing in this series, which means this is the halfway point! I think I will continue discussing the Blue Zones in every other post, with a different topic in between. Interestingly so, all the blue zones so far have been islands, including Ikaria. Quick facts:
According to the Blue Zones website, Ikarians are “almost entirely dementia free.” How do they stay so healthy, physically and mentally? A strict mediterranean diet could be a factor. As you are probably familiar, a mediterranean diet consists of many vegetables, fruits, nuts, and whole grains, along with some seafood and poultry. The Ikarian diet focuses more on the plant-based aspects of this diet. Living in a mountainous region, Ikarians get regular physical activity simply by walking up and down the mountainside to a friend’s house or grocery store. Furthermore, Ikarians are very sociable and welcoming, and social connections are definitely important as one ages. Lasting friendships and community bonds have been a common pattern across all the blue zones so far. Another interesting point of study is the shifting through generations. Though Ikaria is isolated, creating a culture and tradition-rich atmosphere, tourism is becoming more popular, influencing people’s way of life. Younger generations could be deviating away from their ancestors’ traditional lifestyle, through adapting modern technology and a mainstream lifestyle. However, genetics also plays a role in longevity, emphasizing the need to take into account many factors with regards to the topic. Nevertheless, I think comparing the lifespans of subsequent generations will be interesting to study and could help provide a picture of the factors that influence longevity to a greater extent. The second blue zone I will be exploring is Okinawa, Japan (the prefecture).
Quick facts:
Okinawa as a blue zone: Okinawa has around 25 centenarians per 100,000, and it’s likely that this number is accurate, as the Japanese government is pretty thorough about the data about its people. Two concepts stood out to be unique to the Japanese and longevity: moai and ikigai. Moai is a group of lifelong friends who support each other in many aspects, from social to financial interests. These groups of friends can last from childhood all the way to the 100s! Throughout their lives, these groups meet, play games, have conversations, just like any other friend group. I think what makes these groups special, though, is the lifelong commitment to each other. Especially throughout childhood, friends usually come and go— we can be close with a couple people in elementary school, but then drift apart in middle school, and that’s the way it is. However, in moais, the friends are committed to one another for life. In a way, these groups are like extended family. Ikigai loosely translates to a reason for being, having a reason to get up in the morning. It seems like gardening is very popular among older Okinawans, which is definitely a reason to get up everyday. Gardening also provides health benefits in itself, providing physical activity and healthy foods. According to Hector Garcia, co-author of the book Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, “your ikigai is at the intersection of what you are good at and what you love doing.” More specifically, it’s where what you love, what the world needs, what you’re good at, and what you can get paid for converge. At its core, it’s finding meaningfulness in life. These two Japanese concepts place value on living and living into old age. However, what makes Okinawa special compared to the rest of Japan? Ikigai is a popular concept throughout Japan, so perhaps it’s not the main reason Okinawa stands out as a blue zone. However, moai seems to have originated in Okinawa, only gaining attention after Buettner noted it as a characteristic of the blue zone. I also found another interesting characteristic of Okinawa that differs from other places in Japan: uchinaa (Okinawa) time. Contrasting Japan’s precision and punctuality, Okinawans pride themselves on “polite tardiness” and have a forgiving attitude towards being late. I think this may reflect a more relaxed attitude, perhaps related to people feeling less stress. Though, now that I’m thinking about it, if I lived on a tropical island with a group of lifelong friends, I’d definitely be less stressed! As I mentioned in my last post, I will be talking about the five original blue zones for these next couple of posts! The first one is Sardinia, Italy.
Quick facts:
Sardinia as a blue zone: Sardinia was the first blue zone identified by Buettner. His journey to Sardinia was sparked by interest in the M26 genetic marker, which supposedly is related to longevity. I had never heard of this genetic marker myself until researching the blue zones, so I was curious to learn more. However, there doesn’t seem to be much research on it with regards to longevity, making me cautious about the claim. I did find information about a study that found that 150 genes could be related to longevity, and wow, isn’t that a lot! Whether it’s one or many genes, Buettner was led to Sardinia, where he found almost 10x more centenarians per capita than in the United States. A particularly interesting point about Sardinia is that its ratio of male to female centenarians is around 1:1! Some characteristics of the Sardinia lifestyle that’re noted are a plant-based diet with occasional meat, emphasis on family and celebrating elders, walking daily, drinking red wine and goat’s milk, and laughing with friends. I think celebrating the elderly particularly plays a prominent role in their health. The attitude of dismissing the elderly as frail and incompetent, the common view in a society that values youth, has negative impacts to health, both mental and physical. As with anyone being stigmatized, a lowered self-esteem, social isolation, and depression can ensue. Physical health-wise, this attitude can put stress on the elderly, as they’re constantly worried about being a burden to society. The stigma around aging has even been shown to be related to a shorter life. The detrimental effects are nicely summarized in this article, discussing a systematic review done on the health consequences of ageism. Positivity: such a simple concept that can perhaps change the course of our lives. Of course, there are many other variables that contribute to our lifespan, but changing our view of the elderly can be an easy fix, if we set our minds to do so. Supporting the elderly as integral members of society and respecting them for their wisdom can lead to positive impacts on health -- like increased motivation for productivity, stress-free environment -- which may ultimately lead to a longer life. I recently came across blue zones through, believe it or not, Netflix. I was watching Down to Earth with Zac Efron, and in an episode, he visited Sardinia, a blue zone. I remember hearing about blue zones before, but they didn’t pique my interest back then as they do now. Blue zones are basically regions of the world that are home to the oldest people. Dan Buettner is the founder of this concept and named five places in the world as blue zones: Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; Loma Linda, California. Through researching, Buettner and his team discovered specific lifestyle habits that were common to all blue zones, which they call the Power 9. Blue Zones is now an organization with the mission to create healthy communities throughout the United States based on the lifestyles of people in the original blue zones.
Blue zones are not without their critics and skeptics, though. One in particular is Dr. Saul Newman. From an interview I saw here, Dr. Newman believes that there is fault in the classification of blue zones. For example, he questions why Okinawa was chosen as a blue zone, even though it has the shortest average lifespan within Japan. He also believes that there could be data fraud, like people lying about their ages in order to claim higher longevity rates. Nevertheless, I believe blue zones are interesting to discuss, as they’ve been researched extensively into. Even if they aren’t necessarily different from places that weren't dubbed as blue zones, the research done on the elderly population in these places makes it valuable to learn from. Therefore, for the next couple of blog posts, I’m excited to learn about and discuss research discoveries of a particular blue zone! I can’t believe it’s already almost August! This summer has both flown by and seems like it’s lasted forever. Towards the beginning of the summer (more specifically on June 2), I looked at COVID-19 statistics of various countries, and now that summer’s almost over, I thought it’d be interesting to gather the same statistics and compare them! I’m curious to see how the distribution of COVID-19 cases has changed through time. The statistics I used were COVID-19 confirmed cases, and to focus on the older population, I compared the proportion of COVID-19 cases in the 60+ age group with the proportion of people 60+ within the whole population. Basically, I did (# of COVID-19 cases in ages 60+ / total # of COVID-19 cases) - (# of people 60+ / total population). I subtracted the proportions in order to compare the statistics more easily between countries, and I will call the difference in percentages the “delta”. I actually did this for different age groups (60-69, 70-79, and 80+), but for this post, I decided to just focus on the comparisons between countries. The countries I used are Japan, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia, Spain, and California (which I know is a state, but I wanted to compare to somewhere in the US, and the US groups the cases from age 65, not 60). Here’s the data from the beginning of June (6/2): The more positive the delta, the more “exposed” the elderly are to COVID-19 because this means that the proportion of elderly with COVID-19 is greater than their share of the total population. In comparison to the other countries, it seems like the elderly in Spain and Sweden were most exposed because they have the most positive deltas. California and Australia were a little better, and Japan and New Zealand had deltas closest to zero, meaning the proportion of cases is around the same as the proportion of the total population (and Japan actually had a negative delta!). Here is the data from yesterday (7/25): It’s interesting to see that for every place, except Spain, the delta decreased, and pretty significantly. This means that the proportion of elderly cases of COVID-19 became less compared to other age groups. I think Spain is an exception because during this time frame, the peak of the pandemic was already over in Spain, so there wasn’t much change in the distribution of COVID-19 cases. However, if Spain’s delta stayed relatively the same, then shouldn’t Japan’s, too, because Japan was one of the first countries where COVID-19 spread to (as measured by the date of the first confirmed case)? Since the beginning of July, Japan has been seeing a spike in cases, and many of the cases are within younger age groups. Australia has also had a rise in cases in around the same time frame. With less restrictions, younger people could be moving more freely, perhaps because they believe the risk is low or because of necessity, like for work. On the other hand, older people may be continuing to stay home and be cautious because they recognize that the risk is still high for them. Spain is actually now beginning to see a spike in cases, so it’d be interesting to see if its delta changes. In both California and Sweden, there was never really an end to the first wave of the pandemic, but their deltas have still decreased. I think a similar theory could be applied to these places, too: as the pandemic continues and worsens, people realize the risks of the elderly obtaining COVID-19, and elderly people could become more cautious in order to lessen exposure to COVID-19. If this is the case, then it makes sense that the delta decreases because not as many elderly people are becoming infected, at least compared to other age groups in the country. For New Zealand, there have been single-digit new cases per day throughout the whole summer, and its delta has changed the least. It’s actually quite interesting to see how well New Zealand has handled the pandemic, and I’m curious to know what factors contribute to their success. This brings me to my conclusion: there are definitely many more factors that contribute to people’s behaviors in different places and consequently, the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, it’s interesting to find commonalities between places and explore potential theories for them. The sources for the COVID-19 data are the government websites for each country (and California's state website). I obtained population estimates from https://population.un.org/wpp/ and https://statisticalatlas.com/state/California/Age-and-Sex for California. Please contact me if you have any questions about the statistics! You may be wondering, why am I talking about Australia specifically? Honestly, I chose it because Australia is one of my favorite places I’ve been to, which makes me curious on how the aging care system works there. Who knows, maybe I’ll retire in Australia!
Australia’s aging population: As is the trend in many countries, birth rates in Australia are declining as life expectancy increases. In 2017, 15% of Australians were 65 years old and older. Twenty years later, in 2037, the proportion is estimated to increase to 20%, and in another twenty years, to 22%. With the growing amount of older people, care services for the elderly are becoming important topics of discussion. How does the aged care system work? Here, I will be focusing on the government-funded programs. The main types of care available are residential aged care, home care, and home support. Residential care includes long and short term stays in residential care facilities. The home care program is called Home Care Packages Program (HCP) and provides different levels of care for people in their homes. The home support program is called the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) and provides basic care for those who don’t need the full support of home care. In order to qualify for aged care, the individual must be 65+ (50+ for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people) and complete an assessment. Home care: Services provided to help people remain at home include personal care, therapy, food services, home maintenance and modifications, transportation, and more. The CHSP provides services to help people remain independent and safe. HCP is for more intensive care and has different levels, depending on the amount of support needed. Short term care: There are three types of short term care available: restorative, transition, and respite care. Restorative care is for those who are just starting to need help with daily activities. Transition care is for those who are recovering from being in the hospital and integrate back into everyday life. Respite care enables caregivers to take a little break, whether it be a couple hours or a couple days. Long term care: Individuals who can no longer live independently can move into an aged care home, which is basically a nursing home. I like how Australia has two types of care programs for those who want to continue living at home because I think that having a place to call your own home is important in everyone’s lives, but especially for the elderly. This is because in today’s society, aging is often associated with disability. However, even if someone needs help with certain tasks, this doesn’t mean that they are completely incapable or should lose their independence and home completely. In fact, most older Australians do live in their own homes: 73.4% of those 65+ were homeowners in 2011, and only 6.6% lived in residential aged care. It’s important to note that residential care isn’t something totally terrible to avoid, only that it just may not be right for some, like those who enjoy the freedom of living independently. For these people, moving into a facility can be a shock because they’re stripped of their own home, daily routines, and safe place. Along with searching about official aging care services, I also looked at a couple other programs that aim to improve the elderly’s lives. Intergenerational playgroups: This is an interesting model that I came across. In Australia, there are thousands of intergenerational playgroups around the country, with the goal of strengthening ties between generations. These playgroups work by getting 3+ generations together. In long term care facilities, it’s popular for adults to bring their young children to meet with the residents. They all then spend time together, doing activities like singing, painting, and telling stories. I think these playgroups are such a great idea because they benefit everyone involved. For the residents, they are able to socialize and play with the younger generation, which likely helps to brighten their moods and their overall wellbeing. And for the children, they are able to improve social interactions and awareness about the older generation. Be Connected Initiative: This is yet another program helping to connect generations. The goal is to help older adults strengthen their digital skills and online safety. All of its resources are free, including in-person help through the Be Connected Network, which consists of community organizations! In this digital age, it’s important for everyone to be able to access and understand technology. However, the older population is often left behind while the younger generation becomes more fluent and dependent on technology. Another stigma of aging: incompetence with technology. Yes, it may be hard for older people to adapt to technology, as they didn’t have the exposure to such advances growing up, but this doesn’t mean that they can’t learn. I think the Be Connected Initiative can be so helpful for the elderly because through it, they can not only connect to technology, but also with those in their communities through the Be Connected Network. The overall purpose of these two programs that I noticed is connection. As people get older, it does seem like they become disconnected from society, as firstly, they retire and therefore may lose a sense of productivity and purpose, and secondly, society in general is more attracted towards youth. I really think it’s important to address this negative stigma around aging because it’s inevitably going to occur to all of us. By connecting generations through playgroups and technology, everyone involved is able to improve each other’s lives. Sources: https://www.gen-agedcaredata.gov.au/ https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/3398464/HILDA-Statistical-Report2019.pdf https://arc2018.aarpinternational.org/countries/australia https://beconnected.esafety.gov.au/ I’ve seen so many articles, blog posts, news updates about this virus, and yet again, I am jumping on the bandwagon of discussing it. It seems like everyday there’s new information about the virus, so I think the news is actually pretty interesting! I’m especially intrigued by the trends, like death rates, of different countries. And so here I am, writing yet another post about COVID-19.
As you probably know, the virus is most fatal for the older population. Therefore, it would make sense that the countries with the biggest proportion of elderlies, like Japan and Italy, would have the highest death rates. In Italy’s case, this is very evident. The number of deaths in Italy surpassed the number of deaths in China when the total number of cases in Italy was only half that of in China. The death rate in Italy is around 10%, which is pretty high, compared to other countries’. Italy’s older population does play a role in this: around 23% of the population is age 65 or older, and many of those who died were in their 80s and 90s. It could also be how the population is arranged: many elderlies live at home with 18-34 year olds, so the younger family members, who may not show many symptoms, can easily pass the virus on to the more vulnerable older family members. Another factor could be that the virus started spreading undetected, when measures, like the country-wide lockdown, were not yet imposed. Italy’s healthcare system is also straining under all of the cases, with a shortage of resources and workers, as nurses and doctors are also becoming infected. This forces doctors to make the tough decision of who to provide resources to, and it can’t be everyone. Other factors to consider: the death rate may actually be lower, considering the amount of people who have the virus but aren’t tested; other countries may just be behind Italy on the trend. Japan, on the other hand, was expected to have a coronavirus explosion, but it didn’t (or has not yet) happen. Some factors that could’ve played into this are Japan’s proximity to China, leading to earlier preparations, overall higher rates of handwashing than in European countries, and a culture of less physical contact, like hugging and handshaking. However, Japan also hasn’t been doing extensive testing, so the numbers may not reflect the true amount of people with the virus. If this is the case, there could be a spike in cases soon. Germany’s trend is interesting: it has one of the highest number of cases, but with a very low death rate. This could be due to a technique opposite of Japan’s: extensive testing in order to detect outbreaks early. Germany’s other policies, like restricting gatherings and closing nonessential businesses, are more or less the same as other countries’. Also, the median age of infected people in Germany is younger, and this could be due to successfully limiting contact with the older population. I think it’s so interesting that so many factors can contribute to how a virus affects a country. I had first thought that population age could be a good indicator of death rate. However, this is not the case: these three countries all have some of the oldest populations, but their death rates vary quite a bit. Nevertheless, I think it’s still beneficial to learn about other countries’ coronavirus situations to understand what works and doesn’t work for containing the virus. For the health of everyone, it is best to stay informed, so we can try to prevent the worst outcome. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy! It’s definitely been a long couple of weeks, but I think this situation has helped me appreciate the little things in life, like going to the grocery store or hanging out with friends, even more. I think we can all agree that this is a strange time, and I’ll just state the obvious reason why: the coronavirus, or COVID-19. Here are some quick facts about the virus, although you’re already probably aware of them, as coronavirus has dominated the news, social media, and dinner conversations.
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