Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Aug 20;18(6):750-765.
doi: 10.1177/15598276221118494. eCollection 2024 Nov-Dec.

Lessons Learned From Blue Zones, Lifestyle Medicine Pillars and Beyond: An Update on the Contributions of Behavior and Genetics to Wellbeing and Longevity

Magdalini Kreouzi  1 , Nikolaos Theodorakis  1 , Constantina Constantinou  1
Affiliations
Review

Lessons Learned From Blue Zones, Lifestyle Medicine Pillars and Beyond: An Update on the Contributions of Behavior and Genetics to Wellbeing and Longevity

Magdalini Kreouzi et al. Am J Lifestyle Med. .

Abstract

Blue Zones are regions of the world that have a higher number of individuals who live longer than the expected average. The current paper revisits principles previously identified to be common in Blue Zones and to be contributing to longevity (move naturally, eat wisely, improve resilience to stress, get adequate sleep, keep strong family ties, stimulate strong community support, respect for the planet and having a purpose in life'), compares these to the 6 pillars of Lifestyle Medicine (healthy eating, exercising, avoidance of smoking and other risky substances, stress management, restorative sleep, and forming and maintaining relationships) and reviews new studies investigating the association between behavioral factors and longevity. In addition to the role of behavior, the review also discusses the important role of genetics and emphasizes the importance of conducting further research to understand how behavioral and genetic factors may affect molecular pathways with consequent effects on wellbeing and longevity.

Keywords: Blue Zones; genetics; lifestyle medicine; longevity; wellbeing.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Lessons learned from the Blue Zones, the 6 Lifestyle Medicine Pillars and recent results from the literature support the association between healthy eating, physical activity, avoidance of risky substances, stress management and maintenance of good mental health, restorative sleep and positive family and social connections and wellbeing and longevity. Future studies should assess the combined effects of behavioral and genetic factors on molecular pathways to understand their contribution to longevity.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Poulain M, Herm A. Blue zone: A model to live longer and better. In: Poulain M, Mackowicz J, eds. Positive Ageing and Learning From Centenarians : Living Longer and Better. London: Routledge Taylor & Francis; 2022:1-17.
    1. Poulain M, Pes GM, Grasland C, et al. Identification of a geographic area characterized by extreme longevity in the Sardinia island: The AKEA study. Exp Gerontol. Sep 2004;39(9):1423-1429. doi:10.1016/j.exger.2004.06.016. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Poulain M, Herm A, Errigo A, et al. Specific features of the oldest old from the longevity blue zones in ikaria and sardinia. Mech Ageing Dev. Sep 2021;198:111543. doi:10.1016/j.mad.2021.111543. - DOI - PubMed
    1. World Health Organisation (WHO) . The global health observatory. Available at: https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/life-.... Accessed on October 10, 2022.
    1. Poulain M. Exceptional longevity in okinawa: A plea for in-depth validation. Demogr Res. 2011;25(7):245-284.

LinkOut - more resources