The secret of the "blue zones" where people live long and do not get sick, is revealed

Some time ago, the concept of the “blue zones” appeared in anthropology. These are five places on Earth, whose inhabitants live long and almost do not suffer from the chronic diseases.

Irina Ziganshina

This is the Italian island of Sardinia, the Japanese island of Okinawa, the city of Loma Linda in California, the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica and the Greek island of Ikaria.

According to the researchers, one of the clues to the phenomenal health and longevity of the inhabitants of the “blue zones” is a plantbased diet: they almost never eat meat, the basis of the diet is vegetables, fruits, grains and legumes.

American researchers from the Committee of Doctors on Responsible Medicine, who have analyzed numerous clinical trials and epidemiological studies related to aging, have found out how such a diet will affect an average elderly person. Here are a few figures that they cite in their article published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

* Plant-based diets can reduce the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cancer by up to 50%.

* Reduce the risk of developing coronary heart disease by about 40%.

* Reduce the risk of developing vascular diseases of the brain by 29%.

* Reduce the risk of developing cognitive diseases such as Alzheimer's by almost 50%.

Researchers also note that plantbased diets are associated with increased life expectancy, as it's evidenced by those very “blue zones”.