Have you ever heard of "blue zones"?

These parts of the world are known for their citizens living exceptionally long and healthy lives.

Some of these locations may seem familiar:

Okinawa, Japan (home of Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid!). Sardinia, Italy. Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica. Ikaria, Greece.

In these locations, a higher percentage of people live longer due to a diet of local whole foods, high vegetable consumption, low rates of disease, rich social interactions, low stress levels, and plenty of physical activity.

Books, documentaries, and countless newspaper articles champion these societies, and millions upon millions of health-conscious people have modeled their lifestyles after those of these people.

There is only one problem with this amazing story.

This is not true.

First Ig Nobel Prize in Demography

Last month, Dr. Saul Justin Newman received the first "Ig Nobel Prize" in demography.

These awards are given annually for research that "makes people laugh and then think."

As part of this special award, Newman was recognized for disputing almost all of the findings of any blue zone research.

Here's what Dr. Newman discovered:

“The highest rates of reaching extreme old age are projected due to high poverty, lack of birth certificates and fewer people in their 90s.

Poverty and pressure to commit pension fraud have been shown to be excellent indicators of reaching age 100+ in a way "contrary to reasonable expectations".

It turns out that most of the "very old, healthy" people in these blue zones were simply the result ​very poorly kept records, pension fraud and outright lies​.

Let's take a look at what's actually happening in Okinawa: :

"Even though vegetables and sweet potatoes are promoted as key components of the Okinawan 'blue zone' diet, according to the Japanese government, Okinawans eat the least vegetables and sweet potatoes in Japan and have the highest body mass index."

Ooooo. So what the hell do we do now!?

Beware of anecdotal narratives that make dramatic promises

Spend enough time on social media and you'll come across people telling you to only eat meat, cut out carbs completely, say that "this one supplement saved their life" or that XYZ cured their disease, and so on.

These anecdotal stories, especially when they tell a villain, a victim, and a hero's story of overcoming adversity, have incredible power. They are also often used to sell a solution in tablet or powder form.

The good news is that we have data that is constantly being improved by science.

NO Actually we need to know what Okinawans eat, nor do we need to study the daily customs of a specific community in Costa Rica.

Don't get me wrong, I too love a good whimsical story about the customs of a faraway land, but it keeps coming back to reality and science!

And we remember that we must do what is best for our particular situation. This may include ​therapy​may include ​weight loss medicine​this may include focusing on sleep now!

The decision is ours and we can do it with certainty. Not because that's what happens in Costa Rica or Greece, but simply because it's what's best for us.

Here are some ways we can positively impact our lifespan and/or health.

Yes, some of these things are part of the “blue zone diet”… just without the sensationalism and pension scams.

Many of them may be beyond our control!

For example, ​social determinants of health​ (financial stability, access to health care, education, our neighborhoods) are strongly associated with all-cause mortality, and many of these factors may be unavailable to a large portion of the population.

Life is dirty

I'm not bringing all this up to tell you to avoid the Blue Zone diet.

Hell, you could do a lot worse than the Mediterranean Diet! Of course you will most likely lose weight and feel healthier if you eat mostly fresh fish, whole foods and vegetables.

I mention all this to remind you that life is full of mess.

A long, healthy life is a combination of dozens of interconnected things (like those mentioned above), thousands of decisions made during our lives, plus things like genetics, society and happiness! What works for one person may not work for another and there is no one-size-fits-all diet that will solve our problems.

Tomorrow we may be hit by a bus, be diagnosed with cancer despite "doing everything right," or experience: ​a strange accident that changes everything​ next week.

So instead of chasing immortality through sensational anecdotes or getting caught up in the latest trend on social media...

We can focus on the things that we are damn sure will be better off tomorrow than we are today.

Just like the things on the list above! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to do push-ups, eat a vegetable, and go for a quick walk while I call a friend.

-Steve

PS A chat for my friend Jodi Ettenberg, whose moving story about acceptance I posted above. It was ​her newsletter​ that led me to this article!

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