How to Live Over 100: Add More Years to Your Life and More Life to Your Years

Only about 10 percent of the average person's lifespan is determined by our genes. The other 90 percent is dictated by our lifestyle (1). Okay, let's start by taking a deep breath - we get it, it's kind of overwhelming to know that the choices you make in your daily life largely determine how long you'll live.


In a perfect world, we would know the answer to “what do I need to do to live to be over 100?” However, we don’t live in a perfect world, and no one has the answer to that. That’s because humans use cognitive biases when making decisions. We systematically make irrational choices, because we are not rational beings. In fact, that would be humanly impossible, because we make over 35,000 decisions in a day (3). But, all of these small decisions we make, when accumulated, can potentially influence the longevity of our life.


The dilemma is, who should you listen to and what is the right decision? Should you listen to your mom who says that if you don’t eat enough meat you will lack vitamin B12? Or should you listen to that nutritionist at Jimmy Joy who says that Jimmy Joy meals are vegan and still contain the optimal amount of B12? Well, we don’t want to be biased, so we’ll go ahead and introduce you to Dan Buettner, the National Geographic best-selling author who has spent his entire life studying populations with the longest life expectancy, otherwise known as The Blue Zones.


The fact is that humans were not created to live to an extremely old age. Blame it on evolution. We were created to procreate and are expected to live to see our second generation of offspring, and that’s it. We are not made to see 130 years. That’s why a 65-year-old ages at a rate about 125 times faster than a 12-year-old (1). Science tells us that the capacity of a male body is to live to 90 years old (for women, you can add a couple more years) (1). However, if we look at the Netherlands, for example, the average life expectancy is 81 (4). In other words, you could potentially live 9 more years. Yes, 9 years! So, what we prepared for you in this article is a summary of things you can do to increase your lifespan.

  

What are the blue zones?

The Blue Zones are communities whose elderly live with vitality and vigor to a record age. They live to be 100 years old. And the life expectancy is 110 years old, or even longer in some cases. They have been studied in detail by medical researchers, anthropologists, epidemiologists, and demographers and show the greatest longevity in all human populations on planet Earth. In such populations, disease and mortality are very unusual as a cause of death. The Blue Zones see the leading cause of death as simply “old age” (2). They are not “trying” to live to a ripe old age, it is just the standard way of life for them. They also experience extremely low rates of cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and other preventable diseases (5).


Let's cut to the chase. These are the places in the Blue Zone, where the sweet long life happens (6,7,8):

 

Okinawa, Japan , home to the world's oldest women. They eat mostly soy-based foods and practice a meditative form of exercise known as tai chi.
The Ogliastra region of Sardinia , a region high in the mountains, where the oldest men in the world live. They work as farmers and drink a lot of red wine.
Ikaria, Greece , an island where people enjoy the Mediterranean diet full of olive oil, wine and homegrown vegetables.
Nicoya, Costa Rica - is a region where people do a lot of physical work, eat a diet based on beans, rice and corn tortillas. They have a sense of life purpose known as a "life plan."
Loma Linda , California: A very religious community of people who only eat plant-based foods.

  

7. Spirituality

These are usually religious or faith-based communities, which promote positive thoughts and feelings. Having a strong belief in a higher power can lead to greater longevity.

  

8. Have a strong relationship with your family and friends.

They take good care of their elders and take pride in being part of the family. Older people enjoy spending time with their grandchildren, as it keeps their minds young and sharp. Often, different generations live in the same house and spend time together.

 

They also have strong ties to their friends. They don't necessarily have a large group of friends, but a few close ones. Having close friends can reduce the chance of mental problems, prolong life expectancy, and decrease the risk of chronic diseases.

   

9. Have a healthy social network

Your social network can influence your health and well-being. If you surround yourself with positive people, you're likely to have a more positive outlook on life. But unfortunately, it works both ways. For example, if you surround yourself with a social circle that parties every night and follows an unhealthy lifestyle, we all know how it goes. It might be harder to say no to happy hour on a Monday night.

Another important factor is that their relationships are nurtured in person. They do not rely on technology. They are immune to social media because they are not exposed to these externalities in their life. That is believed to be a very important factor for their happy and stress-free life as well as having more genuine and stronger relationships.

    

10. Mitigate stress naturally

Chronic stress leads to inflammation, and inflammation is a contributing factor to the development of many chronic diseases. This is how the Blue Zones handle stress. In Ikaria they take a daily nap; the people of Lomo Linda pray daily; and in Japan they take time to remember their ancestors. They all also spend a lot of time outdoors. They are not exposed to technology or artificial light, nor do they stay in dark, enclosed spaces for long periods of time. Sunlight can increase the brain’s release of the hormone serotonin, which is associated with improving your mood and helping you stay calm and focused. Of course, we’re talking about exposure to sunlight in moderation and using sunscreen. Did you know that regular use of sunscreen can prevent skin from aging faster (17)?

 

Conclusion 

It takes 21 days to adopt a new habit. We challenge you to pick one item from the ten listed above and try to make it your new favorite item. We also challenge you to pick something other than number 3 😏.

   

Sources

(1)  Buettner, D. (2009).Obtained from: Ted Talk

(2)  Buettner, D., & Skemp, S. (2016). Blue Zones - Lessons From the World's Longest Lived. Am J Lifestyle Med. , 318–321.

(3)  Krockow, E.M. (2018, September 2018). How Many Decisions Do We Make Each Day? Retrieved from: Psychology Today

(4)  The World Bank. (2018). Retrieved from: The World Bank

(5)  Hill, S. J. (2020). BLUE ZONES: WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE POPULATIONS WHO LIVE THE LONGEST? Obtained from: Plant Proof

(6)  Blue Zones. (2020). Retrieved from: Blue Zones

(7)  Robertson, R. (2018). Retrieved from: Healthline

(8)  National Geographic. (2017). 5 “Blue Zones” Where the World's Healthiest People Live. Retrieved from: National Geographic

(9)  Hill, P.L., & Turiano, N.A. (2014). Purpose in life as a predictor of mortality across adulthood. Psychol Sci. , 1482-1486.

(10) Klatsky, A.L. (1999). Moderate drinking and reduced risk of heart disease. Alcohol research & health , 23 (1), 15.

(11) Thun MJ, Peto R, Lopez AD, Monaco JH, Henley SJ, Heath CW Jr, Doll R. Alcohol consumption and mortality among middle-aged and elderly US adults. N Engl J Med. 1997 Dec 11;337(24):1705-14.

(12) Baxter, R. A. (2008). Anti‐aging properties of resveratrol: review and report of a potent new antioxidant skin care formulation. Journal of cosmetic dermatology , 7 (1), 2-7.

(13) Holahan CJ, Schutte KK, Brennan PL, North RJ, Holahan CK, Moos BS, Moos RH. Wine consumption and 20-year mortality among late-life moderate drinkers. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2012 Jan;73(1):80-8.

(14) Simona Costanzo, Giovanni de Gaetano, Augusto Di Castelnuovo, Luc Djoussé, Andrea Poli, David P. van Velden, Moderate alcohol consumption and lower total mortality risk: Justified doubts or established facts?, Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, Volume 29, Issue 10, 2019, 1003-1008.

(15) Di Castelnuovo A, Costanzo S, Bagnardi V, Donati MB, Iacoviello L, de Gaetano G. Alcohol dosing and total mortality in men and women: an updated meta-analysis of 34 prospective studies. Arch Intern Med. 2006 Dec 11-25;166(22):2437-45.

(16) Bas, G., Loisate, S., Hudon, SF, Woods, K., Hayden, EJ, Pu, X., . . . Uzer, G. (2020). Low Intensity Vibrations Augment Mesenchymal Stem Cell Proliferation and Differentiation Capacity during in vitro Expansion. Scientific Reports , 9369.

(17) Hughes, MC, Williams, GM, Baker, P., & Green, AC (2013). Sunscreen and Prevention of Skin Aging. Annals of Internal Medicine , 781-790.