Beyond the Blue Zones: Why the Netflix Documentary Series Missed Global Secrets to Life Longevity
In a virtual friends gathering last month our conversation centered on wellness. A few weeks before, I had watched the Netflix docuseries called Live to 100: Secretes of the Blue Zones. I was in awe of the wellness practices of five countries where there are populations of centenarians, people who are living 100 years or over. My group of friends is based all over the world and have extensive experience living, working, and traveling so I wanted to start the conversation with something fun. I asked, “Can you guess the countries included in the Netflix docuseries Living to 100?” Most of my friends guessed that Japan and Costa Rica would be two of the five countries. We discussed that we were surprised to learn that one of those places was in the United States, Loma Linda, California where there is a community of Seven-day Adventists. We talked about how the docuseries highlighted how having a religious practice impacts lifestyle and a sense of community.
Then, the conversation took an unexpected turn. Instead of talking about what life longevity and wellness mean to our lives, we talked about what countries are missing from the docuseries. The African continent, South Asia, and South America were completely left out leading to the two assumptions, centenarians do not exist in lower and middle-income countries and lower and middle-income countries do not contribute to the global conversation on life longevity.
Myth 1 The African Continent, South Asia, and South America do not have populations that live to 100 years old.
One friend argued the reason that the African continent, South Asia, and South America were not included in the docuseries was because they do not have populations of centenarians. However, populations of centenarians do exist in low and middle-income countries. In the mountains of Pakistan, there is a mountainous remote area called Hunza Valley. There is significant research on the population of Burusho and Wakhi people who have lived there for centuries. Studies show that the average life expectancy in Hunza Valley is around 100 years old. This underlines the myth that there aren’t populations of centenarians in other parts of Asia outside of Japan.
Another issue is that there is limited research on centenarians outside the Western world. In a research article called, Centenarians in the Global South: A View from Ethiopia, they discuss how research on centenarians often comes from the Global North leaving out the unique profiles of populations who live to 100 outside of the West. Researchers Samson Chane and Margaret Adamek found that a population of centenarians in Ethiopia persevered through many losses and hardships with the help of strong community-based social networks. The difference between studies on centenarians in the Western world is that in Ethiopia most respondents were male and had strict religious upbringings. The Netflix docuseries missed the opportunity to learn and explore the secrets of longevity in low-income and middle-income countries.
Myth 2 The African Continent, South Asia, and South America don’t contribute to the global conversation on life longevity.
The docuseries series did not highlight how the foundation of overall physical and mental wellness comes from cultural practices in the African continent, Southeast Asia, and South America. I reflected on the narrative of wellness in Western countries like the United States. Often, when I walk into a yoga and meditation class in New York City, a white instructor is leading it. We forget to acknowledge and give credit to cultures in Southeast Asia and India more specifically the birthplace of yoga and meditation practices. I would argue that Southeast Asia has laid the foundation for exploration, creating the language, and daily practices around wellness on a global level A larger discussion about how Western adaptation changes wellness practices is also a significant part of this conversation.
Even further, well-known tips for healthy skin and hair often come from cultures in the African continent, Southeast Asia, and South America. For example, people have oiled their skin with shea butter, coconut, cactus, and Moroccan oils. Many of these practices are beauty secrets that have anti-aging and vitamin benefits for skin and health and are sold in shampoos and facial oils.
Another thing that came to mind is how places like South America have influenced a healthier diet in the context of life longevity. Eating quinoa in the Andes in South America is a part of the staple diet. Western trends that highlighted the benefits of quinoa as the “super grain” and a healthier alternative meant that people started to incorporate it into their diets. Between 2005 and 2013, quinoa exports from the world’s leading quinoa-producing countries, Peru and Bolivia, increased seven-fold. During this same period, quinoa’s price surged by 600%.
Although I was fascinated by the docuseries Live to 100: Secretes of the Blue Zones, there was no visibility on how the African continent, Southeast Asia, and South America contribute to the conversation of life longevity. These places also have populations of people who are living to 100 and have been the foundation for the culture of life longevity around the world. I am waiting for these secrets to be shared in Live to 100: Secretes of the Blue Zones Part 2.
