A recent report found that residents of California, Minnesota, and Utah are particularly likely to live long and healthy lives, putting these states in a position to compete for so-called “blue zone” status.
Author Dan Buettner came up with the concept of Blue Zones while traveling around the world researching the secret to longevity. His work is currently featured in Netflix's popular documentary series “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones.”
Butner said lifestyle pillars adopted by Blue Zone residents include daily exercise, eating whole foods like vegetables and nuts, being social, and having a sense of purpose. Residents of Mr. Butner's Five Blues (locations in Italy, Greece, Japan, Costa Rica, and Loma Linda, California) have lower rates of chronic disease and a much longer life expectancy than the general population. is. Buettner suggests other blue zones could emerge in the future.
Overall, life expectancy in the United States appears to be increasing. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in November that life expectancy in 2022 was 77.5 years, an increase of 1.1 years compared to 2021, when deaths from COVID-19 and heart disease were high. on the other hand, wall street journal The report says our “healthy lifespan” – the period of time people can function without getting sick or in pain – is being shortened.
Where's the best place to live a long, healthy life? Online pharmacy NowPatient's new metrics build on Buettner's theory to improve the health and longevity of the U.S. population and its potential to be home to new blue zones. We are rating states.
The index is based on data on sleep, physical activity, and anxiety/depression. The index also rewards states for seemingly bizarre reasons, such as his high Google searches for meat-free restaurants.
Why is this? According to NowPatient, “Food guidelines for Blue Zones specifically recommend cutting back on eggs, fish, and dairy products. In fact, if you want to eat like people in Blue Zones… , 95.0% to 100.0% of the diet must be plant-based.”
Other categories that some people consider controversial or questionable also rank high: states with a high percentage of the population that are religious. Buettner's research suggests that this is because people living in blue zones, where life expectancy is longer, tend to belong to faith-based communities.
10 states most likely to become blue zones
Buettner's ideas about longevity have made waves in the health and wellness field. Here is a ranking of the top 10 states most likely to become blue zones:
- California
- minnesota
- Utah
- north carolina
- Massachusetts
- maryland
- Virginia
- connecticut
- rhode island
- colorado
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