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.
1 Comment
Yanni
10/18/2020 03:44:20 pm
Thank you for sharing the bluezone information. I am looking forward to learning more about it at your next blog.
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