FILEX 2015
PRESENTER
USE DIET
AND
LIFESTYLE
TO LIVE LONGER AND BETTER
The way you live today can help add not only quantity, but also quality, to your future.
WORDS: SHIVAUN CONN
he capacity of the human life
span is, on average, 90 years,
and a small proportion of people
have genes that help them to live longer. In
Australia our current life expectancy is
approximately 82.10 years; 80.1 years for
males and 84.3 years for females. So why
aren’t we living longer? Is it luck? Or can we
roll the dice in our favour?
Media and advertising tell us we can take
anti-ageing pills, vitamins, hormones, or have
surgical procedures to reverse or stop the
T
The 30-second article
• Studies have shown that about 25 per
cent of how long we live is dictated by
our genes, with the other 75 per cent
is determined by our diet and lifestyle
• Researchers have identified a
number of communities around the
world – known as Blue Zones – in
which people live significantly longer
healthier lives
• These zones include Okinawa in
Japan, Barbagia in Sardinia, the
Greek island Ikara, the Nicoya
Peninsula in Costa Rica, and the
Seventh Day Adventist community in
Loma Linda, California.
• Common factors among each
community are an unprocessed
plant-based diet eaten in moderation, a
strong sense of purpose and community
and gentle, incidental physical activity.
20 | NETWORK AUTUMN 2015
ageing process. Unfortunately there is no
evidence for these claims and the reality is there
is no known way to stop or reverse ageing.
There is good news, however. There may
be ways we can slow the ageing process to
enable us to live to our full capacity. In fact
scientific studies suggest that only about 25
per cent of how long we live is dictated by our
genes. The other 75 per cent is determined
by our diet and lifestyle. If we optimise our
diet and lifestyle choices, therefore, we may
gain back an extra 10 years of good quality
life we may otherwise have missed out on.
Costa Rica, and the Seventh-day Adventist
community in Loma Linda, California.
Buettner’s
research
started
with
Barbagia, where demographer Gianni
Pes had first reported the presence of
seven centenarians in one village of 2,500
people, which equates to one in 360 people
reaching 100 years of age. To put this into
perspective, approximately one in 5,750
people in Australia – that’s 16 times fewer
– are centenarians. In addition, Barbagia is
one of the only places in the world where
men live as long as women.
The Blue Zones – clues to living
longer
So what’s the secret? – Barbagia,
Sardinia
Longevity scientists and demographers
have uncovered locations where people
are living longer disability-free lives than
anywhere else in the world. These unique
places have been called ‘blue zones’.
The phrase was first coined by Belgian
demographer, Michel Poulain when referring
to the Barbagia region of Sardinia. Journalist,
explorer, and author of The Blue Zones, Dan
Buettner, extended the term to include other
demographically confirmed geographical
areas where people live measurably longer
lives. These are areas that have the highest
centenarian rate (people living over 100), the
highest life expectancy or the lowest rate of
middle age mortality.
To date, Buettner and his research team
(in conjunction with the National Institute of
Ageing and National Geographic Expeditions
Council), have reported on five blue zones:
Okinawa in Japan, Barbagia in Sardinia, the
Greek island Ikara, the Nicoya Peninsula in
Partially it’s in their genes as Sardinians
carry the M26 marker, linked to exceptional
longevity, at much higher rates than other
populations. However, while genes may
explain some of their longevity, their lifestyle
has been found to play an even bigger role.
The majority of Sardinian men in this
region are shepherds, an occupation that
involves several hours of low intensity
physical activity per day. Their diet is lean
and largely plant-based, consisting of
unleavened whole wheat bread, beans,
garden vegetables and fruit, with meat
consumed no more than once a week.
Sardinians eat pecorino cheese from grassfed sheep, high in omega-3 fats, and in
some parts of the island, mastic oil with its
antibacterial and antimutagenic properties.
They regularly drink goat’s milk that contains
anti-inflammatory components and enjoy
one or two glasses of Cannonau wine daily,
which is rich in flavonoids. Flavonoids have