Blue Zones

[superior88]

anybody lives or lived in any of blue zones cities? I stumbled upon this term in a book titled "The Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick" by " Gene Stone.

it would be nice to hear your thoughts or experience. and if you get a chance to have a look at that book contents to share your your feedback

[9ideon]

Posted by superior88 (here)
anybody lives or lived in any of blue zones cities? I stumbled upon this term in a book titled "The Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick" by " Gene Stone.

it would be nice to hear your thoughts or experience. and if you get a chance to have a look at that book contents to share your your feedback

Can you disclose a little more about that book? Like personal impressions and content information?

[RunningDeer]

Pdf - The Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick

Summary

Some take a daily nap. Or a cold shower. Some do yoga, lift weights, swear by brewer’s yeast. And one dunks his head in hydrogen peroxide—he hasn’t had a cold in two decades.

In profiles of twenty-five people who never get sick and revealing their secrets and practices, Gene Stone covers the surprising science of personal health. The stories make it real, the research explains why, and the do-it-yourself information shows how to bring each secret into your own life. It’s your turn to become a person who never gets sick.

Book Overview

Who does not want to be healthier? Now in paperback: the book that Andrew Weil calls "offbeat, informative, and fun . . . a great read," and that has been praised as "a delightful dance through science" ( New York Times bestselling author Mark Hyman, M.D.) and as a "remarkable and insightful book [that] offers you the chance to achieve the best health of your life" (Mark Liponis, M.D., Medical Director, Canyon Ranch). Written by bestselling author Gene Stone, The Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick arose from his desire to discover what might actually prevent him from getting sick himself.

This book, the result of that exploration, tells the stories of twenty-five people who each possess a different secret of excellent health--a secret that makes sense and that Stone discovered has a true scientific underpinning. There are food secrets--why to take garlic and vitamin C, eat more probiotics, become a vegan, drink a tonic of brewer's yeast. Exercise secrets--the benefits of lifting weights, the power of stretching.

Environmental secrets--living in a Blue Zone, understanding the value of germs. Emotional secrets--seek out and stay in touch with friends, cultivate your spirituality. Physical secrets--nap more, take cold showers in the morning. And the wisdom that goes back generations: Yes, chicken soup works. The stories make it personal, the research makes it real, and the do-it-yourself information shows how to integrate each secret into your own life, and become the next person who never gets sick.

Posted by superior88 (here)
anybody lives or lived in any of blue zones cities? I stumbled upon this term in a book titled "The Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick" by " Gene Stone.

it would be nice to hear your thoughts or experience. and if you get a chance to have a look at that book contents to share your your feedback

[Johan (Keyholder)]

It is not just cities, but "zones", large patches of land in different countries.

Buettner's seven zones is one way to sum them up:

Sardinia, Italy (mainly Ogliastra and Barbagia di Seùlo)
Acciaroli, Italy
Okinawa islands, Japan
A community of 7th day Adventists in Loma Linda, Californië
Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
Ikaria Island, Griekenland
Öland, Zuid-Småland and Noord-Oost-Skåne, Sweden

There is one (it is actually the largest blue zone on the planet) I was (and maybe still am) interested in to buy property there.

It is in Costa Rica, the Nicoya peninsula. For obvious reasons (when you compare it with the six others mentioned above).

Land is still available there (at a reasonable cost). Minimum investment is 200.000 US$ (not a small sum of course) to become a "permanent resident".

There are advantages as well as disadvantages. Knowing enough Spanish is important. The entire administrative and financial system is not what we "westerners" are used to. And there are - no doubt - many "unknown" issues and factors to contend with.

On the other hand, in the world we live in today, it can be a potential solution to go and live there "off the grid".

If others are interested in this subject, maybe I can start a thread "Living off grid in a blue zone - Nicoya, Costa Rica".

Let me know.

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by RunningDeer (here)
Pdf - The Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick

Excellent, thanks.

Now in the Avalon Library:

https://avalonlibrary.net/ebooks/Gen...Get%20Sick.pdf

[superior88]

Posted by Johan (Keyholder) (here)
It is not just cities, but "zones", large patches of land in different countries.

Buettner's seven zones is one way to sum them up:

Sardinia, Italy (mainly Ogliastra and Barbagia di Seùlo)
Acciaroli, Italy
Okinawa islands, Japan
A community of 7th day Adventists in Loma Linda, Californië
Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
Ikaria Island, Griekenland
Öland, Zuid-Småland and Noord-Oost-Skåne, Sweden

There is one (it is actually the largest blue zone on the planet) I was (and maybe still am) interested in to buy property there.

It is in Costa Rica, the Nicoya peninsula. For obvious reasons (when you compare it with the six others mentioned above).

Land is still available there (at a reasonable cost). Minimum investment is 200.000 US$ (not a small sum of course) to become a "permanent resident".

There are advantages as well as disadvantages. Knowing enough Spanish is important. The entire administrative and financial system is not what we "westerners" are used to. And there are - no doubt - many "unknown" issues and factors to contend with.

On the other hand, in the world we live in today, it can be a potential solution to go and live there "off the grid".

If others are interested in this subject, maybe I can start a thread "Living off grid in a blue zone - Nicoya, Costa Rica".

Let me know.

yes I vote for such great thread, I am interested in such kind of live. as I have read that some people who really had some serious illness (like cancer) moved there as last resort for them and it kinda worked well for them. they got better. not sure if its really true though but somehow checking the statistics of the average age people there, it could be true

[Vangelo]

If my memory serves me, Dr. Gundry believes the one thing the majority of the Blue Zones have in common is diets that are high in Polyphenol. But, please do your own research on this statement because I have not been able to find the podcast where I think he said that.

[Jim_Duyer]

Posted by Johan (Keyholder) (here)
It is not just cities, but "zones", large patches of land in different countries.

Buettner's seven zones is one way to sum them up:

Sardinia, Italy (mainly Ogliastra and Barbagia di Seùlo)
Acciaroli, Italy
Okinawa islands, Japan
A community of 7th day Adventists in Loma Linda, Californië
Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
Ikaria Island, Griekenland
Öland, Zuid-Småland and Noord-Oost-Skåne, Sweden

There is one (it is actually the largest blue zone on the planet) I was (and maybe still am) interested in to buy property there.

It is in Costa Rica, the Nicoya peninsula. For obvious reasons (when you compare it with the six others mentioned above).

Land is still available there (at a reasonable cost). Minimum investment is 200.000 US$ (not a small sum of course) to become a "permanent resident".

There are advantages as well as disadvantages. Knowing enough Spanish is important. The entire administrative and financial system is not what we "westerners" are used to. And there are - no doubt - many "unknown" issues and factors to contend with.

On the other hand, in the world we live in today, it can be a potential solution to go and live there "off the grid".

If others are interested in this subject, maybe I can start a thread "Living off grid in a blue zone - Nicoya, Costa Rica".

Let me know.

I live south of there - six hours or so, but I can tell you some things about Nicoya. It has some of the best white sand beaches in CR - most of the others are either gray or darker sand. It's hot except when it's raining and then its humid and somewhat hot. The locals are a mix of indigenous, Hispanic and people formerly of Nicaragua.
I'm speaking of the locals - because those are the ones that would have been reported in your statistics. There
are a few hundred or so expats living there, some from US, many from Germany and other parts of Europe.
It's a major tourism area and has a new international airport nearby.
The reason for the healthy people is probably their exercise (poorer people have to do things themselves, don't you know?) their diet - more fish and chicken, less beef, and their high consumption of fruits. Most can't afford to smoke, but there are a few that drink to be sure.
Not much private transportation so people still walk a lot - even walking to the bus could be a mile.
Decent and honest group of people - but they move so slooowly. Because of the heat. When we
vacation there it's like watching honey drip from a spoon when the waiter brings you another beer.
Not many decent hospitals nearby - Liberia has one but the further you get from San Jose the
worse the medical care (free) is. On the southern pacific they have Golfito, where you can buy
duty-free goods. Not much else. One of the US fisherman caught Encephalitis and the boat came
into port there. The local hospital was caring for him. His girlfriend heard my wife and I speaking English
and came over to our table to see if we could make any suggestions. Yes, we said. Borrow, steal or beg
some money, put him in a bus or taxi and get him to San Jose. The hospital in Golfito cures that with
chicken soup, aspirin, and cold compresses.
There are plenty of private doctors if you have the money, and it's pretty cheap compared to the US
or Europe. But if you live within a few hours of San Jose you have many excellent hospitals with
doctors trained at Johns Hopkins or similar schools.
A great many in Nicoya speak some English, so that's a plus, but the Covid has caused the hotels to
slow down drastically so there is higher unemployment right now - and there may be some resentment
towards rich foreigners. I still love to visit - especially Playa Samara.
You might want to look at Manuel Antonio/Quepos beach areas in the southern part of that same
Pacific coast - lots of expats there and really nice place to live.
I chose the central mountains because I like trees, fresh air, cooler climate (50-80 F year round),
and the people are the best in the country in my opinion. I just this week got the first cold that
I have had in six years - my wife gave it to me from our grandkids. I completely lost the sinus
infections and ear aches that plagued me in the US, and my lungs checked out recently to
116% better than others my age. I pay $50 a month for both my wife and myself for medical
care - that includes dental and all medications and of course surgeries. I would equate it with
a Veterans hospital type care - you have to wait, the medicine is all generic, but it's certainly
worth it. I now get a small monthly pension from Costa Rica as well as my SS from the States, since
I have been here 25 years and did work here for some of that time.
You can get citizenship just by marrying a local - and before you say no to that, take a look, because
you may not be able to turn that down.

I don't want to piss of the Ecuador crowd. I have been there three times. It's pretty and many things are fascinating there.
But do yourself one favor - first, admit that at some distant point in time you may wish to
look for companionship. And second, compare the women there to the ones in CR. No contest.
So the married in the crowd or the permanently single can ignore what I just said.
The others might want to consider it further.
This goes for women looking for men at some point, as well.
I did not come looking for one. But I have been happily married here for 25 years now.
This is not my biased opinion, although I am biased, you can check out the Miss Costa Rica's
vs the Miss Ecuador, Miss Bolivia, Miss etc. and see for yourself.
I know that I will get some nice comments, so bring em.

[Kryztian]

It isn't necessarily the zone you live in, but what people are eating in that zone.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=I4MjGC-XX90

[RunningDeer]

The Blue Zones Are a $78 million dollar LIE [with Dr Saul Newman]

• KenDBerryMD
• October 1, 2026
• 3.74M subscribers

Blue Zones got sold as the secret to living past 100. Eat plants. Garden. Sip wine. Dr. Saul Newman looked at the records and the story falls apart.

Most of the supercentenarian paperwork is junk. Okinawa does not eat the way the books say. Sardinia is not a vegetarian island. Loma Linda is not a miracle outlier once you put it next to the rest of the country. Pension fraud and missing death certificates do more work than purple sweet potatoes every single time.

If the lifestyle pitch were the cause, the food and the smoking and the drinking would have to match the legend. They do not. The useful habits that remain are the boring ones: do not smoke, do not drink yourself to death, move, and see a doctor when you need one.

Dr .Newman's New Book - Morbid: Debunking Modern Longevity Science

0:00 Are blue zones real
2:18 Why title it Morbid
3:48 Junk Nature paper
7:37 Italy, no lifespan limit
10:42 Ages past 100 are junk
13:00 Tokyo man, dead 30 yrs
16:01 82% of Japan's 100s
19:47 Okinawa diet is false
24:21 Sardinia, not vegetarian
27:27 Loma Linda is average
32:01 The $78 million sale
33:34 Mormons live as long
36:38 Greek pension fraud
38:54 US birth certificates
42:45 Buettner offered a trip
46:34 Paid demographers
50:23 Towns buy certificates
55:02 They don't eat plants
61:50 Why he wrote Morbid
64:52 Don't drink or smoke

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=hdEKEyGqZeg

AI Summary:

The discussion centers on a critique of the blue zones concept and the longevity research used to support it. The central argument is that extreme-age data are often unreliable because records can contain mistaken identities, unreported deaths, pension fraud, inaccurate ages, and weak historical documentation, with examples from Japan, Greece, Italy, and the United States. Okinawa and Loma Linda are presented as cases where the actual population data and lifestyle patterns do not match the popular blue-zone narrative, including claims about diet, exercise, smoking, alcohol, and longevity.

The discussion also examines the commercialization of blue zones, including books, licensing, community programs, certificates, and substantial financial transactions, as well as alleged conflicts of interest involving researchers and organizations connected to the concept. The broader longevity field is described as having serious problems with statistical methods and the quality of extreme-age data, with implications for demographic projections, pensions, insurance, and health planning.

The practical conclusion offered is that there is no basis in the discussion for treating blue-zone diets or lifestyles as a special longevity formula, and that the basic advice remains to avoid smoking and alcohol, exercise, and seek medical care when needed.

Key Points

• The blue zones concept is presented as lacking reliable empirical support from the underlying longevity data.

• Five original blue zones were identified, with Loma Linda, California, later becoming the American example.

• The discussion argues that one original blue zone was created after an editor requested that an American blue zone be identified.

• A highly publicized Nature paper on maximum human lifespan is described as containing spreadsheet errors, rounding errors, and flawed statistical analysis.

• Another study arguing that there is no human lifespan limit is described as relying on a highly sensitive statistical model and questionable age classifications.

• Testing of extreme-age data is presented as showing that much of the world's data beyond approximately age 100 is unreliable.

• Reliable age measurement becomes especially difficult because many people born a century ago lacked birth certificates or comprehensive government records.

• In Japan, a government investigation into people recorded as being over 100 reportedly found that 82% of those checked were already dead.

• The Japanese records included cases in which families continued collecting pensions after the recorded recipient had died.

• The Okinawa longevity narrative is presented as being heavily dependent on inaccurate or outdated records rather than exceptionally high survival to extreme ages.

• Okinawa is described as ranking poorly on several health measures despite its reputation as a longevity center.

• Okinawa reportedly has relatively high meat and seafood consumption and comparatively low consumption of sweet potatoes, vegetables, and salads.

• Smoking and alcohol consumption in Okinawa are described as inconsistent with the popular portrayal of a particularly health-conscious longevity population.

• Sardinia is described as having lifestyle realities that differ substantially from its marketed image, including physically demanding work and meat consumption.

• Loma Linda's longevity is presented as unremarkable when compared with longevity across American suburbs, rather than being exceptionally high.

• Loma Linda's low alcohol and tobacco use is associated with Seventh-day Adventist religious practices rather than establishing a uniquely plant-based longevity mechanism.

• Mormon populations are discussed as another highly religious, closely connected population with low alcohol and tobacco use, despite not following the same vegetarian dietary pattern.

• Historical examples from Greece and the United States are used to illustrate how identity substitution and inaccurate records can inflate extreme-age statistics.

• The number of recorded American 110-year-olds reportedly fell substantially after states introduced more systematic birth-certificate requirements.

• Census and death-certificate comparisons have historically shown substantial discrepancies in reported ages, including cases involving differences of more than 10 years.

• The blue zones concept became a commercial enterprise involving books, lifestyle programs, licensing, community certifications, and large financial transactions.

• Communities reportedly paid millions of dollars for blue-zone certifications, while some programs were later discontinued after funding was exhausted.

• The discussion raises concerns about organizations evaluating their own programs and about financial relationships between researchers, institutions, and blue-zone organizations.

• The proposed practical longevity guidance is deliberately simple: avoid smoking and alcohol, exercise, and consult a doctor when necessary.