That’s an amazing read.
I love the Ig Nobel. Always so much to think and chuckle about.
I agree, it really is fantastic.
It reinforces my belief that our current understanding of longevity can’t really advance by studying these cultures and doing what they do.
It’s further evidence that most of the people who have made it past 100 have done it from serious luck and genetics. Not through any deliberate habits. I tried to think of an example of an intentionally healthy person that lasted to 100, and Jack Lalanne was the closest I could think of. He died at 96 of a freak pneumonia where he didn’t go to the doctor.
Genetics are always a major factor, just being tall or male reduces your longevity relatively speaking. Aging health is helped a lot by diet and exercise so it is still important. Whether the Okinawa or Mediterranean diet are actually best compared to the more nutritionally diverse diet the rich eat is a different question.
Agreed. There are certainly a few things that can maximize your odds of a full lifespan. Most people find them obvious and boring, but it’s about as detailed as we can get based on current accepted science.
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Exercise and stay active throughout life, even in old age.
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Eat foods that can provide adequate macro and micronutrients but don’t encourage gross overconsumption of calories.
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Try to maintain a psychological “purpose” for sticking around. That could be your work; it could be pushing for societal change. It could be family too. Anything that gives you a reason to get up each morning.
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Have access to current and preventative healthcare that can minimize risk factors of disease.
This study tells me that arguing about what makes the beans and rice diet of Nicoya or the purple sweet potatoes of Okinawa special is a moot point because those societies don’t necessarily have the concentration centenarians that we thought.
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