Quality aging & longevity: Living the Blue Zone life

A few days back, I read a very inspiring bit of news from Singapore, which announced S$4,000 SkillsFuture top-up for its citizens aged 40 and above. The top up can help these people undertake select courses so that they can have better employability outcomes.

Acknowledging the pace of change that AI is bringing about, the government is promoting upskilling massively among professionals in that age group and sees tremendous benefits in helping mid-career workers and older workers learning new skills along with young workers in the same classrooms.

There is a lot that such a policy announcement states beyond the optics of building an AI ready economy. It acknowledges that lifelong learning has become vital to successful careers today, many times more than ever before. And it acknowledges that middle age and senior professionals do matter for the future. Not just for their skills and experience in the traditional ways of doing things, but also for their potential ability to apply those very attributes through upskilling in the new economy. The Singaporean government does not see them to be the past. And that is how it should be.

As I continue our discussion on centenarians, it is my firm belief that this approach and attitude matters so much when it comes to quality aging. When you start seeing age as a particular number or phase, say early- to late-50s where it is now time to just calmly ride off into the sunset, take a moment to think about it. There is no more purpose to be fulfilled in life or no need to engage with the world? Is it the truth of your body you are expressing or just a belief system you have imbibed from social conditioning, along with many others? And with this belief system, are you subconsciously willing your body into a phase of unpleasant aging (the kind we all dread)?

You would be aware of the Blue Zones, the result of extensive research into regions of the world where people tend to live longer, healthier lives compared to the global average. National Geographic Fellow Dan Buettner has popularized the idea of these blue zones, from where scientists glean important insights into quality aging and longevity. The identified blue zones are:

• Okinawa, Japan
• Sardinia, Italy
• Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
• Icaria, Greece
• Loma Linda, California, United St ates (specifically the Seventh-day Adventist community)

What are Buettner’s insights from these regions? There is no silver bullet to longevity, but a silver buckshot. This means that a number of quality factors can contribute to longevity, which in his definition is extending your lifespan by at least 10-15 years. The people living in these blue zones have made marginally better choices in several areas of their life. But the key is that they have been making these choices consistently over several years at a stretch. The key to longevity therefore is not in making those new year resolutions. Instead, it is being slightly better every day.

"The calculus of aging offers us two options - We can live a shorter life with more years of disability, or we can live the longest possible life with the fewest bad years. As my centenarian friends showed me, the choice is largely up to us." Dan Buettner

There are 9 power factors that Buettner has identified that possibly contribute to longevity:

• Making movement a natural part of your day
• Knowing your sense of purpose
• Prioritizing stress relief
• Eating until you're about 80% full
• Eating a largely plant-based diet
• Drinking alcohol in moderation
• Connecting with your community
• Putting family (whether biological or chosen) first
• Choosing social circles that support healthy behaviours

Although it may be debatable to mark and isolate 9 factors and assume they can be generalized to the entire population, these pointers provide direction to how societies and governments can work towards healthy aging and longevity. Nutrition for example is a key differentiator in how blue zones came into being and also why we could lose them in some time.

In the interview below, Buettner discusses why the rise of American fast food joints and the typical trappings of western civilization (like driving instead of walking) in places like Okinawa could bring down their stellar record around half a generation from now. Diets in the blue zones are characterized by these pillars – whole grains (corn, rice, wheat), greens (garden vegetables), nuts for snacks and beans. The people in blue zones manage to make dishes from these foods taste good as well.

An important insight is that while we consider all carbohydrates as evil, the complex carbohydrates in whole grains, legumes, starchy vegetables, whole fruits, etc are actually good for a balanced diet. The reason is that they are both a constant source of energy and also help to regulate blood sugar levels. Blue zones also have fat but from better sources like olive oil. And while they do not use words like dieting or restriction, but they have this golden rule of eating till they are 80% full.  And their food has much more on nutrition and way less calories.

On the other hand, abundance of high energy foods with minimal physical activity is bound to make people obese. On an average, a typical urban Indian consumes at least 100 gm of packaged food that provides 500 kilocalories per day, according to urban data on food eating habits from Hyderabad-based National Institute of Nutrition (NIN). Even a minor positive energy imbalance of 50 kcal/day can lead to a monthly weight gain of up to 1 kg.

Another critical aspect of blue zones is the emphasis on family and friend connections, a culture that we Indians knew so well until a few decades ago. Unfortunately, with career aspirations and associated compulsions, these cultural bulwarks have become less of a norm and people have grown increasingly distant. However, connection in community can matter a lot for example in places like Sardinia where 99% of the community is Catholic and they meet and engage with each other in church. Caring for your elders and ensuring they have such connections is a critical step forward.

Buettner makes a stark statement – three friends that you can connect to on a bad day vs being lonely; the difference is 8 years of additional life expectancy in the former case. No drug can give you that! So find people with common interests – nature, spirituality, biking, gardening, book reading, etc and form a community of your own. Volunteering for causes you believe in is another wonderful strategy that works wonders for longevity. You get to connect to people who share your values, and thereby also help you connect to your purpose.

Ikigai, the reason for being, is the final and perhaps the most important point I would like to make in this blog. Okinawans believe intensely in having a reason to be, and do not have a word for retirement! There is a big mortality spike seen in one particular age – the year when people retire. And that is where I love the example being set by a country like Singapore. Is it a surprise that Singapore is an emerging Blue Zone region?

To tell people that they should continue to matter in the economy going forward, and rethink they ways they can upgrade their careers ahead. It also says that they can continue to explore their purpose and pursue it in later stages of their life, not being passive dependents but active contributors in their family, community and nation.  When you feel useful, you feel positive and happy. That is ultimately the best longevity pill there is.

And I would like to add that we definitely need more focussed research on the issue of longevity in India, given our unique factors of culture, environment, eating habits, belief systems, etc, on the lines of the Blue Zones. It is a topic that deserves our attention in the coming years, as insights from such research can be pivotal to quality of life in our country.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of any organizations mentioned or affiliated with the author. Reliance on any information provided in this article is solely at your own risk.