The Blue Zones Solution, Dan Buettner
Science of human longevity and aging gracefully.
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Today, the best minds and intellect are used to develop guns, bombs, and military hardware to destroy humanity (Oppenheimer- Hiroshima,) rather than developing the cure for cancer, diabetic, heart diseases, Alzheimer, and just about every other major illness.
The news cycle is spinning faster and news is coming at us so fast and furious that it creates an anxiety with the writer about which stories to write about.
Wading through the flood of headlines, I feel overwhelmed and powerless at the rapid pace of breaking news which has been overwhelmed by current events, polarization, and the state of the world.
The current news cycle reflects horrible disparities in who controls the media, what news I broadcasted and who is in power.
For me it is a challenge to write: government shutdown, Senator Menendez indictment, Gen. Miley committed treason, 78th UN General assembly meeting, or Cassidy Hutchinson new book “Enough.”
However, being a Unity Week for Muslims I will talk about graceful aging, and lifestyle without the meat and cruelty to the animal at the slaughterhouses.
An excellent seminar at Respect Graduate School by Peter Slinger on Thursday Sept 28th 1:00 pm.
In the last 10 years scientists have been working in the field of ageing; whether there are things we can do to slow down, reverse, or otherwise change the process of aging.
Working on Telomeres, growth hormone treatments or cellular reprogramming, and work on human longevity seems to show great progress and extend lives by decades.
However, death is, after all, the one unchanging variable in an equation of life that has a great many unseen aspects.
Surah al-Waqiah, Ch.56: V.61says: “We have ordained death for [all of you]; and We cannot be prevented.” The Quran makes us understand that death is also proof of the existence of the afterlife.
“Every soul will taste death. And We test you with evil and with good as trial; and to us you will be returned” [al-Anbiyaa’ 21:34-35]
Research can be optimized for greater longevity and over the past few years, investment by the millionaires, and most recently, Saudi royals - Regalado, A. 7 June 2022. Saudi Arabia plans to spend $1 billion a year discovering treatments to slow ageing.
This work is powered by artificial intelligence, gene therapy, cellular reprogramming to cure ageing to naturally maximize the human life span to 125 years.
Scientists are studying the Greenland sharks usually live for about 250 years, Ocean quahog clams from the seabed north of Iceland can live up to 500 years, and octopus in the Octopus Garden off the coast of Monterey live more than 3 to 4 years, but the life span of any octopuses is less than one year.
While scientists in China are studying the bats, which control inflammation so well that they can harbor viruses without getting sick - research lab in China.
What are telomeres?
Telomeres are structures made from DNA sequences and proteins found at the ends of chromosomes which play a central role in cell aging.
To stimulate and protect telomeres which prevent ageing and damage to the DNA one needs vegetable protein(not animal protein), and engaging in physical activity.
To extend life span and protect Telomeres we need to avoid stress, and a regular diet of flax, spinach, mushroom, berries, and oats. The food that destroys telomeres are alcohol, red meat, or processed meat.
The research biologist Cynthia Kenyon altered one gene in small roundworms and doubled their life span,
Blue Zones:
There are hotspots around the world with high concentrations of longevity among the general population. They gave them official Blue Zone status:
Many scientists, who have studied the habits of the people of Sardinia (Italy), Aegean Sea (Greek Island), Loma Linda, (California), and Nicoya Peninsula, (Costa Rica.)
Dan Buettner has spent decades exploring the lifestyles and diets of people in these remote places and studying life-enhancing habits from these areas he calls 'Blue Zones.'
Dan was joined by anthropologists, demographers, epidemiologists, and other researchers to study communities with surprisingly high percentages of centenarians.
He and the scientists interviewed hundreds of people who had made it to age 100 about how they lived, then did a lot of number crunching to figure out what they had in common.
In his new book “Blue Zones,” and his Netflix series which was released in April, Buettner bring decade’s research of his findings on longevity.
He says it all comes to their diet and lifestyle and he found that Blue Zone communities are largely free of afflictions like heart disease, obesity, cancer, and diabetes.
Dan, says the five pillars of any longevity diet in the world are whole grains, greens, beans, vegetables, tubers(potatoes), and nuts as snacks.
These people eat about a cup of beans a day which is associated with an extra four years of life expectancy.
They are not vegetarians only; they eat about 1/10 the amount of meat – a typical American diet has 220 pounds of meat a year. Very devastating to the environment.
Article by Muhammad al Asi in Crescent International on the slaughter house in North America of cows and chickens questions the “Halal” 'Tayyib,” and cruelty to animals occurs during production, handling, transport, and slaughter.
The Blue Zone people grow their own vegetables in their own gardens which leads to exercise, they do not go to the gym.
Food from the garden is not just a source of nourishment but taking care of the garden (weed, water & harvest) makes them use their muscles which are healthier for their backs and knees.
They do not have the luxury of living, but amid turquoise waters and beautiful sand beaches where they do swim 2 to 3 times a week.
The people in these Blue Zones have strong social and religious bonds, they are affiliated to churches and robust senior citizen groups.
These people walk and bike to grocery stores, churches, or parks. These are the habits that we see in five Blue Zones across the world measurably yielding longer lives, says Dan Buettner.
Diet of the Prophet Muhammad (PBHU):
First Prophet Muhammad ate two meals which are Tayyib (Wholesome, pure, clean, and nutritious). So, what did the Prophet eat?
The Prophet's diet consisted of dates, figs, grapes, milk, honey, olives, olive oil, vinegar, watermelon, barley, & pumpkin.
Islam advocates midday napping and primarily because it was a practice preferred by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
The Messenger of Allah said:
'A human being fills no worse vessel than his stomach. It is sufficient for a human being to eat a few mouthfuls to keep his spine straight. But if he must (fill it), then one third of food, one third for drink and one third for air. '”
The Prophet Muhammad rarely ate meat and was also known for his compassion toward animals. It is not surprising, many of the Ayatollahs shun meat or eat in moderation.
Ø Ikaria, Greece: emphasis on potatoes, goat's milk, honey, legumes - garbanzo beans, black-eyed peas, and lentils, wild greens, some fruit, and relatively small amounts of fish.
Ø Okinawa, Japan: melons, tofu, garlic, brown rice, green tea, and shitake mushrooms. staples like seaweed, turmeric and sweet potato and more rice, milk, and little meat.
Ø Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica: Fried rice and beans, garnished with cheese and cilantro, corn tortillas, with an egg on top, beans, corn, and squash. papayas, yams, bananas, and peach palms.
Ø Sardinia, Italy: clean air, ate lots of vegetables, or because of their shepherding lifestyle of livestock from the mountains to the plains, Their diet being goat's milk and sheep's cheese — some 15 pounds of cheese per year, on average. Sardinian centenarians also eat plenty of fennel, fava beans, chickpeas, tomatoes, almonds, milk, and thistle tea.
Ø Loma Linda, California: Dan & the researchers were surprised to learn that Seventh-day Adventists rejected smoking, drinking, and dancing and avoided TV, movies, and other media distractions. They also follow a "biblical" diet focused on grains, fruits, nuts and vegetables, and drink only water. Sugar is taboo, too. “Another key insight? Pesco-vegetarians in the community, who ate a plant-based diet with one serving of fish a day, lived longer than vegan Adventists.” Their best foods included avocados, salmon, nuts, beans, oatmeal, whole wheat bread and soy milk.
The tenets of a healthy lifestyle.
Ø Avoid fast food or eating out.
Ø Reduce meat and aim for plant-based food.
Ø Avoid distraction while eating (TV & cell phone).
Ø Eat slowly and chew properly.
Ø Avoid loneliness by joining the clubs, peace groups (LEPOCO) or volunteering.
Ø Revamp social media to cultivate friends and a sense of purpose. If you aim to live a healthier life align yourself with positive thinking people with purpose.
Ø In lieu of an afternoon tea or coffee, take a nap. Recent science shows that a 20-minute nap can make up for an hour of lost sleep and helps keep you sharp later in the day.
Ø Lastly, get a garden: For those of you who do not like the gym, plant a garden in your backyard.
Dan Buettner says. "A garden nudges you to weed and water and harvest almost every day," It makes for better flexibility and probably healthier backs.
In conclusion, the key takeaways from his new book on how to eat and live like "the world's healthiest people" is that longevity is not just about food, it requires lifestyle changes with low-fat based veg-diet, daily exercise, stress management and social support.