HEALTH REPORT
Blue Zones: the Mediterranean secret to longevity
Dr Damian Kristof discovers why the time-honoured Mediterranean Diet can significantly improve your health and longevity.
sun-warmed tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, capsicums as sweet as
Deep in the heart of the Mediterranean, there are two islands called Sardinia and Ikaria. They are both renowned for their remarkable longevity statistics, which continue to intrigue scientists and researchers. The so-called Mediterranean Diet, which emphasises the minimally processed fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes, grains, herbs, fish and olive oil that are widely consumed in this area, has become one of the most popular diets in the world, and is strongly linked with improved heart health and a reduced risk of cancer and depression.
strawberries, a little fish or goat meat, bread, lashings of tzatziki and the freshest, fruitiest olive oil you could imagine. For the duration of our stay, these foods formed the template of every meal we ate; from time to time, potatoes, spanakopita, chicken and fava beans and chickpeas put in an appearance as well. A different perspective Then more recently, Marcus and I travelled to Sardinia to meet Dr Ivo Pirisi. He is a world-renowned longevity authority who was once closely connected to the Blue Zone model, but is now more sceptical of its finite and deliberate framework. of ‘modern’ inhabitation of Sardinia, the diets of centenarians have varied from being strongly plant-based (but not vegan or vegetarian) to almost purely carnivorous, as well as featuring consumption of substantial quantities of cheese and wine. It is fair to say that during our Sardinian stay, we ate like kings! Salad, handmade cheeses, mouth-watering fresh meat, yeast-free breads, olive oil, luscious fruit and delicious wines rich in flavonols like resveratrol and with the highest content of OPCs (oligomeric proanthocyanins) in the world. Three key similarities So – what did we learn from observing these two quite different versions of the Mediterranean Diet in two separate and distinct countries? What do they have in common? Pirisi presented us with a scenario where coincidence and several other factors could have played a much more significant role in the longevity outcomes of these areas than their traditional diets. We learned that, in the 4,000 years
Interestingly, even though the diets eaten on these two islands are both put under the same banner of the Mediterranean Diet, they are actually very different. Let’s identify the three key reasons behind the efficacy of the Mediterranean Diet. Longevity insights Marcus Pearce and I are fascinated by the topic of longevity. We have travelled to Ikaria (nicknamed ‘the island where people forget to die’) and Sardinia for the past seven years, to understand the secrets of these idyllic havens and to share them with attendees at our Longevity Experiences.
A little history: in 2016, Marcus and I went to Ikaria for the first time, where we met Thea Parikos. Parikos became world- famous after featuring in Dan Buettner’s research expose of the world’s Blue Zones (areas around the world where inhabitants routinely live to 100 or more years old, and remain in good health), which was published in National Geographic. During that 10-day trip, we experienced what we thought was the secret behind Ikaria’s status as a Blue Zone: a diet featuring fresh feta,
6
ISSUE 69 • 2023
Made with FlippingBook Learn more on our blog