Blue Zones - What Instructive Examples Can We Learn From Those Who Live the Longest
Alicja Kowalska
2026-03-16
7 min. read
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According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, from 1990 to 2019, the average life expectancy in our country increased by 6.5 years for women and 7.8 years for men. It is projected that by 2030, the average lifespan for women will be 84 years, while men will live to 77.3 years. This is a commendable achievement, however, in other parts of the world, living to 100 years old is quite common. What can we learn from those who live the longest in the so-called Blue Zones?
What are the blue zones?
For over a decade, D. Buettner has been collaborating with the National Geographic Society to discover the places on earth where people live the longest. These areas have been labeled as blue zones because researchers have marked them on a map with blue ink. The aim is to find locations where people not only live long but also age healthily without heart disease, dementia, cancer, diabetes, or obesity. By 2009, after a thorough analysis, researchers have been able to pinpoint 5 such areas: the island of Ikaria in Greece, the island of Okinawa in Japan, the island of Sardinia in Italy (Ogliastra province), the city of Loma Linda in California, and the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica. Despite their geographical distance, these locations share certain commonalities. Based on the lifestyle analysis of centenarians in the blue zones, 9 principles have been developed, adherence to which can potentially slow down the aging process.
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