Beware the Story, Embrace the Science

Have you ever heard of “blue zones”?

These pockets of the world are known for having citizens who live exceptionally long, healthy lives.

Some of these sites may look familiar:

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

These locations have a higher percentage of people living longer due to their local diet of whole foods, high vegetable consumption, lower incidence of disease, rich social interactions, lower stress, and lots of physical activity.

Books, documentaries, and countless news articles have championed these communities, and millions upon millions of health-conscious individuals have tailored their lifestyles to the way these people live.

Just there one Problem with this wonderful story

This is not actually true.

The first Ig Nobel Prize in Demography

Last month, Dr. Saul Justin Newman was awarded the first “Ig Nobel Prize” in demography.

These awards are given annually for scientific research that “makes people laugh and then think.”

For this particular award, Newman was honored for debunking almost all the results of any study related to blue zones.

Here’s what Dr. Newman discovered:

“The highest rates of extreme old age are predicted by high rates of poverty, lack of birth certificates, and fewer people reaching the age of 90.

Poverty and pressure to commit pension fraud have been shown to be excellent predictors of reaching age 100+ in a “contrary to rational expectation” manner.

It turns out that most of the “old and healthy” individuals in these blue zones were simply a result of this ​Very poorly kept records, pension fraud, and outright lying​.

Let’s take a look at what’s really happening in Okinawa:

“Although vegetables and sweet potatoes are promoted as major components of the Okinawa Blue Zone diet, according to the Japanese government, Okinawans eat the least amount of vegetables and sweet potatoes in Japan and have the highest body mass index.”

Oooooof. So what 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 eat only meat, cut out carbs completely, how “this one supplement saved their life,” or that using XYZ cured their disease, etc.

These stories, especially when they have a villain, a victim, and a heroic tale of overcoming adversity, are incredibly powerful. They are also often used to sell you a solution in pill or powder form.

The good news is that our data is constantly being refined by science.

We don’t do that In reality We need to know what Okinawan people eat, not to study the daily customs of a particular community in Costa Rica.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good, quirky tale of far-off Earth customs too, but it still ties back to reality and science!

We can remember that we need to do better For our special case. This may include ​to treat​may include ​Weight loss medication​This may include just focusing on sleep now!

This is up to us to decide, and we can do so with confidence. 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 lives and/or health.

Yes, some of these things are part of the ‘Blue Zone Diet’… just without the excitement and pension fraud.

Many of them may be beyond our control!

For example, ​Social determinants of health​ (Financial stability, access to health care, education, and neighborhood) are closely linked to all-cause mortality, and many of these things may not be available to large segments of the population.

Life is messy

I’m not saying all this to tell you to avoid the blue zone diet.

Heck, you could do a lot worse than following a Mediterranean diet! naturally You’re more likely to lose weight and feel healthier if you eat mostly fresh fish, whole foods, and vegetables.

I bring all this to remind you that life is messy.

A long, healthy life is a combination of dozens of interconnected things (like those listed above), and thousands of decisions made over our lives. plus Things like genetics, society and luck! What works for one person may not work for another, and there is no “one diet fits all” solution to our problems.

We could get hit by a bus tomorrow, or be diagnosed with cancer despite “doing everything right,” or suffer an injury ​A strange accident changes everything​ next week.

So, instead of chasing immortality through sensational tales, or getting swept up in the latest social media trends…

We can keep our focus on the things that we feel completely confident will make us better off tomorrow than we are today.

Like the things on that list above! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to do some pushups, eat my veggies, and take a quick walk while calling a friend.

-Steve

Note: Hat tip to my friend Judy Ettenberg, whose poignant and poignant story about acceptance I linked above. It was ​Her newsletter​ Which led me to this article!

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