# Blue Zones

Blue Zones are five regions (Okinawa, Sardinia, Nicoya, Ikaria, and Loma Linda) where people were reported to live unusually long, and the shared pattern is the "Power 9": move naturally, eat mostly plants with beans daily, keep a sense of purpose, downshift stress, and stay socially connected. The lifestyle habits hold up in research. The raw centenarian counts are another matter, contested since demographer Saul Newman's 2024 critique, with the underlying data possibly skewed by poor birth records or pension fraud. The single most copyable lever is roughly half a cup of legumes a day.

What the world's longest-living people can teach us

## On this page

- What Are Blue Zones?
- Where Are the Five Blue Zones?
- What Are the Power 9 Habits?
- What Does the Blue Zone Diet Look Like?
- How Do You Apply Blue Zone Lessons at Home?

## FAQ

- If I follow Blue Zone principles, will I live to 100?
- Do I have to give up meat completely?
- Is moderate drinking really good for you?
- What if I don't have a strong community?

## Sources

- Passarino G, Underhill PA, Cavalli-Sforza LL, Semino O, Pes GM, Carru C, Ferrucci L, Bonafè M, Franceschi C, Deiana L, Baggio G, De Benedictis G. (2001). Y chromosome binary markers to study the high prevalence of males in Sardinian centenarians and the genetic structure of the Sardinian population. Human Heredity. https://doi.org/10.1159/000053368
- Newman SJ. (2019). Supercentenarian and remarkable age records exhibit patterns indicative of clerical errors and pension fraud (preprint, not peer-reviewed; originally posted 2019, updated 2024). bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/704080
- Austad SN, Pes GM. (2025). The validity of Blue Zones demography: a response to critiques. The Gerontologist. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnaf246
- Fraser GE, Shavlik DJ. (2001). Ten years of life: Is it a matter of choice? (Adventist Health Study-1). Archives of Internal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.161.13.1645
- Orlich MJ, Singh PN, Sabaté J, et al.. (2013). Vegetarian dietary patterns and mortality in Adventist Health Study 2. JAMA Internal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.6473
- Zhao J, Stockwell T, Naimi T, Churchill S, Clay J, Sherk A. (2023). Association Between Daily Alcohol Intake and Risk of All-Cause Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-analyses. JAMA Network Open. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.6185
- Darmadi-Blackberry I, Wahlqvist ML, Kouris-Blazos A, Steen B, Lukito W, Horie Y, Horie K. (2004). Legumes: the most important dietary predictor of survival in older people of different ethnicities. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition
- Panagiotakos DB, Chrysohoou C, Siasos G, et al.. (2011). Sociodemographic and Lifestyle Statistics of Oldest Old People (>80 Years) Living in Ikaria Island: The Ikaria Study. Cardiology Research and Practice. https://doi.org/10.4061/2011/679187

_Full guide: https://usa-longevity.com/en/guide/blue-zones_

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_Canonical: https://usa-longevity.com/en/guide/blue-zones · Part of Longevity Cities · Updated 2026-05-18_