IKARIA, GREECE: The Oldest People On Earth Reveal The Secrets To Living Past 100

Business Insider ^ | 07/15/2012 | Dina Spector

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Jeremy Vandel/Flickr

There's no magic bullet to living beyond the age of 100. But some places are on the right track. 

National Geographic writer Dan Buettner seeks out "Blue Zones," a few pockets around the world where a higher number of people live for a remarkably long time.

The remote island of Ikaria in Greece is one hotspot of exceptional human longevity. Here, there are more healthy people over 90 than any other place on the planet.

Buettner and his team spent 15 months studying the centenarians of Ikaria. The trip was documented in a series of videos, in which the researchers identified eight major secrets to reaching a record-setting age.  

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First, some geography. Ikaria is an isolated Greek island in the Aegean Sea.

Blue Zones

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Amid the lush green forests and beautiful waters, you'll find people who live longer than anywhere else on Earth.

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Buettner says only about 20 percent of how long we live is dictated by genes; the rest is lifestyle.

Blue Zones

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What makes Ikaria special? According to Buettner, the island is mostly insulated from the mechanized conveniences and the fast-food culture of modern society. This has helped them to preserve age-old customs and lifestyle habits that scientists believe explain their exceptional lifespan.

Blue Zones

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1. THE IKARIAN DIET: This is a variation of the Mediterranean diet, which studies have shown to lower the risk of heart disease and potentially increase life expectancy by 6 years. The diet is high in vegetables and beans and low in meat and sugar.

Blue Zones

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Ikarians also finish everything in Extra Virgin olive oil. The oil contains natural antioxidants associated with a lower risk of heart disease and cancer.

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2. GOAT MILK: The team found that people on the island who live beyond age 90 drink goat's milk almost every week. Goat's milk is easier to digest than cow's milk. It's also high in tryptophan, which reduces stress hormones and lowers the risk of heart disease.

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[Robwin]

So: the answer isn’t ObamaCare?

[rabidralph]

It’s probably yogurt.

[1raider1]

The secret to having many people in a given area living long lives is living in a place with little or no record of their date of birth.

[Huskrrrr]

[SkyDancer]

Why?

[SeekAndFind]

RE: Why?

READ THE ARTICLE

[SeekAndFind]

RE: The secret to having many people in a given area living long lives is living in a place with little or no record of their date of birth.

The Greek economy might be tanking, but even they are not so backwards that they fail to keep birth certificate records. This is not a primitive country. This is a country that hosted the Olympics in 2004.

[riri]

Having spent some time on a Croatian island in the Aegean, I can tell you it's the damned way of life. It's frikking magical.

I ate on a smaller island one day. Most of the island was owned by a German immigrant. He was 70 years old and he didn't look a day over 45. He had been there for 49 years or so. It's more than genetics. It's the way of life also.

[spokeshave]

...Close multi-generational families.....old guys keep working ...(carpenter, beekeeper, goat-herder, fisherman, ...) take afternoon naps and don’t wear watches.

[Revolting cat!]

The Secret: Be Greek!

[factoryrat]

Tryptophan is a natural sedative. They basically live in stasis, with their metabolism being slowed down. Makes sense if you think about it. Every living organism goes through a predetermined number of cell divisions. If you slow down the division rate, then the oranism lasts longer. How long do the goats live on this island?

[riri]

Yes!

Bartering is king. You put up my wall and I'll give you my olive oil.

Fresh olive oil in mass quantities, fresh veggies, homemade wines and hooch, fresh fish...

[Revolting cat!]

The Secret: Help me Rhonda, Help, help me, Rhonda!

[WorkingClassFilth]

I love you guys. Somebody posts something and you irreverent FR miscreants explode things in short order - beautiful.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Retire at 45 and let someone else pay all your bills.

[webstersII]

There is not one “correct” diet for the entire human race. This is a fallacy which was proven wrong by Weston Price and many others.

When a population eats the same thing that their ancestors have eaten for many, many generations, they will thrive. This is because over time those who will survive and procreate are those who can survive on that diet.

Japanese people are healthy when they eat as their ancestors ate. This is in spite of them smoking, for example. There are tribes in Africa where the people are very healthy even though they have a diet of mostly meat and milk, with a few vegetables or berries.

If the author wanted to research something interesting about the Med, he should explore how little heart disease they have other there versus how much pork and lard they eat. But that would be against the agenda of some of the science community to promote vegetarianism as the healthiest lifestyle.

[SkyDancer]

The “why” was for why live to be a hundred? Also, caps lock sticking?