The idea that the world’s “blue zones” are famous for their longevity and high percentage of centenarians is just a hoax based on incorrect data, according to one researcher.
This is a phrase that was coined to refer to a region of the world whose residents are said to live longer than others and enjoy better health than residents of other regions. The Italian island of Sardinia was the first region to be classified as “blue” in 2004.
The desire to live as long as possible has led to the emergence of a thriving trade, including nutritional advice and advice for following a healthy lifestyle, in addition to books, technological tools, and nutritional supplements that are supposed to contribute to longevity.
However, Justin Newman, a researcher at University College London, Sul, confirmed in an interview with Agence France-Presse that the available data on the world’s oldest people is “false to a very shocking degree.”
His research, which is currently undergoing review, examined data on two categories of centenarians: those over 100 years old, and those over 110 years old, in the United States, Italy, England, France and Japan.
In an unexpected result, it was found that “centenarians over 110 years of age” are generally from areas with a poor health sector and high levels of poverty, in addition to their inaccurate records.
The real secret to longevity appears to be “settling where birth certificates are scarce, and teaching kids how to cheat for a pension,” Newman said in September when receiving the I.G. Nobel Prize, an award given Annually to scientists about their research that makes “people laugh and then makes them think.”
Sojin Kitō was considered the oldest person in Japan… until the discovery of his mummified remains in 2010, and it turned out that he died in 1978. Members of his family were suspended for receiving a pension over a period of 3 decades.
The government launched a study that showed that 82% of the centenarians counted in Japan, or 230,000 people, were actually missing or dead.
“Their documents are legal, they are simply dead,” Newman says.
Verifying the age of these people requires verifying very old documents, the authenticity of which may be questionable. He believes that this problem is the source of all commercial exploitation of the Blue Zones.
They lied about their ages
In 2004, Sardinia was the first region to be classified as “blue”.
The following year, National Geographic journalist Dan Buettner classified the Japanese islands of Okinawa and the city of Loma Linda in California as “blue zones.” But in October, Buettner admitted to the New York Times that he had classified Loma Linda as a “blue zone” because his editor had asked him to: “You have to find a blue zone in the United States.”
The journalist then collaborated with demographers to create “Blue Zones,” to which were added the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica and the Greek island of Ikaria.
However, official records that are not as reliable as those in Japan have raised doubts about the true age of the centenarians who were counted in these areas.
In Costa Rica, a 2008 study showed that 42% of centenarians “lied about their age” during the census, according to Newman. In Greece, data collected in 2012 indicate that 72% of centenarians died. “They stay alive until the day they are able to benefit from a pension,” he says jokingly.
Researchers defending “Blue Zones” dismissed Newman’s research as “ethically and academically irresponsible.” Demographers confirmed that they “accurately verified” the ages of “centenarians over 110 years old” based on historical documents and records dating back to the 19th century.
But Newman believes that this argument reinforces his point. He says, “If we start from an incorrect birth certificate copied from other certificates, we will get well-connected files… and completely wrong.”
He concludes his speech by saying, “In order to live a long life, you do not have to buy anything. Listen to your doctor’s advice, exercise, do not drink alcohol, and do not smoke… that is all.”