I am a Cardiologist, and I Am Telling You There is No Magic Bullet to Insure You Live Until 100
You might be able to increase your longevity odds, but contrary to recent headlines, there are no sure ways to guarantee it.
“What’s the secret to living to 100?” was an article published by the prestigious Geisinger Medical Clinic last year. The advice is a catalog of the usual and obvious things, like eating “healthy,” exercising, getting enough sleep, avoiding stress, not smoking or drinking too much alcohol, etc. But many people do this and don’t make it beyond their 70s or 80s.
Since 2000, much attention has been focused on “Blue Zones” worldwide, where many residents in mostly small, isolated rural areas live to 100 and beyond. The name was “coined” by researchers who circled these areas on a world map with a blue marker. Dan Buettner’s Secrets of the Blue Zones docuseries on Netflix reveals 12 habits that can allegedly add years to your life. I watched the series and have questions and thoughts.
Except for Loma Linda, California, all of the other four Blue Zones are in countries outside of the USA. In addition to the Netflix series, he has written books. There are Blue Zone, Blue Zone Kitchen, Blue Zone Solution, and Blue Zones of Happiness, to name only a few. There are things that Buettner does get right. And there are…
