How to live to 100 and beyond: blue zones’ healthy longevity secrets spread to new places

Dan Buettner identified five communities where old people live with vim and vigour 20 years ago; now he helps other places follow their lead

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Dan Buettner with a 93-year-old Greek Orthodox priest on the Aegean island of Ikaria, in Greece. There are no magic solutions to long life, says Buettner, who coined the term ‘blue zones’ for communities with healthy centenarians. Photo: David McLain

Published: 6:15pm, 26 Jun 2024

Ozempic for weight loss. IV drips for hangovers. Micro-workouts for fitness. Life-extending supplements. The craze for instant health fixes has Dan Buettner, founder of the Blue Zones, shaking his head.

Twenty years ago he showed that longevity is down to long-term lifestyle, with no such thing as a silver bullet. This was the message from the blue zones – five communities, in Okinawa, Japan, Sardinia, Italy, Nicoya, Costa Rica, Ikaria, Greece, and Loma Linda, in the US state of California – where old people live with vim and vigour into their 100th year and beyond.

“People are more than ever looking for the fountain of youth, the magic supplement or quick fix for health and longevity, and I don’t think that exists,” he says.

“The blue zones research shows it is all about changing your environment for the healthy choice to be the easy choice over a lifetime, even though that may seem traditional.”

Dan Buettner speaks with 101-year-old Maria Roberta in Nicoya, Costa Rica. Photo: David McLain

A National Geographic fellow, award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author, as well as a Guinness record holder for cycling, Buettner came across the blue zones initially while doing transcontinental cycling. He founded the Blue Zones in 2004 after approaching National Geographic with the idea to research longevity hotspots.