I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There are a handful of books I have read that have immediately affected my life, caused a change in behavior, or redirected me down a new path. This is one such book. Blue zones are those areas across the globe where pockets of longevity can be found. In blue zones, there are an unusually high number of centenarians living compared to other populations. In The Blue Zones, the author, Dan Buettner, explores four blue zones: Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Loma Linda, California; and the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica.

After reading about the lifestyles, eating habits, cultural customs, and social behaviors of the centenarians living in the blue zones as introduced in this book, it has made me realize how out of synch I am with the natural and spiritual rhythms of life. And I don't mean this in an "I am going to start making my own soap and hugging trees" context. I suppose it's more of a reinforcement of what I have suspected. I just couldn't put my finger on it until reading this book.

There are several lessons in the book and the author condenses them to nine lessons toward the end of the book. I suppose each individual will take away different lessons that will apply to them in their current time and place.

I can imagine what it would be like to get up with the sun, walk to work, and work with my hands, followed by a mid-day meal of local grown fruits and vegetables with several family members and friends surrounding me.

If you like red wine, Pecornio cheese, green tea, nuts, tortillas, fruits and vegetables, strong social networks, family and friends, a sense of purpose, a belief in God, walking, working, moving, fresh air, and sunlight, then you will probably enjoy this book.

Whether or not your goal is to live to be ahundred years old, the insights in BLue Zones are valuable for everyday living. No matter how many years you have left you want to live an active healthy life so the knowledge passed on in this book will be helpful to you. Besides the well-known dietary guidelines of less meat, more fruits and vegetables, the researchers came up with fscinating anecdotes related to a close family lifestyle which seems to add years to your life

A good read. The information is presented in such an interesting format, with personal stories along with the advice for longevity, that you forget this is a "health manual". Some of the advice is about diet and exercise, lifestyles and habits, but the best information comes from people's attitudes. We have a lot to learn!

The "Blue Zones" are the places in the world where people live longer, healthier, more vital lives. This book reveals the wisdom of staying young as practiced in parts of the world where people enjoy long life-spans. Author, Dan Buettner, takes us to these cultures where people live the longest and healthiest and reveals their secrets by distilling them into practical tips we can use. The book combines the lifestyle choices naturally ingrained in these long-lived groups with the latest scientific research.

The book includes stories of people in their nineties and those who have lived beyond one-hundred from such places as Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Loma, Linda, CA; and Costa Rica. The author observes how people eat, exercise, deal with stress, and view life. He also discusses the impact of their lifestyle on their health and longevity.

Healthy lifestyles and healthy choices seem to be at the root of what keeps people in certain cultures living healthy longer. The healthy lifestyle choices these Blue Zone people live under include eating vegetables; limiting sugar, fat, and meat; a high level of physical activity and physical labor though out their lives into old age; a plethora of social and familial relationships; and an ability to deal with stress through supportive relationships and physical activity.

Aging does not need to be a dismal journey into the abyss. This book is a great reminder that by making healthy choices in all aspects of our lives we can affect not only our lifespan, but our quality of life as we push past the century mark! Other inspirational books I also recommend are: THE 3:00 PM SECRET: Live Slim and Strong, Live Your Dreamsand THE BACK OF THE NAPKIN: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures.

I read Dan Buettner's book with great interest. He has spent much time studying "pockets of longevity" and his stories are informative and entertaining. We can learn much from the book, the value of caloric reduction, eating mostly plant based foods, working all your life etc.
From a scientific standpoint however, his approach is badly lacking. Studying an outlayer group (black swans) does not lead to valid conclusions for the majority. Summarizing commonalities (called "lessons,strategies")among four groups of centenarians does not constitute science. No doubt there are good conclusions, as mentioned above. But it also leads to "soft" conclusions (e.g. "explore a new tradition", "create family shrine", "be likable", "craft a personal mission statement".....), which are questionable. Good journalism, but mediocre science. But do buy the book.

Let's begin with content unmentioned by previous reviewers. In the United States, only about one male per 20,000 reaches age 100 (p. 44). The almost-daily consumption of nuts is important to good health and long life (e. g., p. 130). On the other hand, supplementation with DHEA, human growth hormone, or melatonin is questionable and probably harmful (p. 13). Friendly intestinal bacteria are important, and these are thwarted by processed foods, excessive consumption of meat, surgery, etc. (p. 92).

The geographical format of this book takes the reader to "Blue Zones" (areas with high concentrations of long-lived people) all over the world. One of them is right in the USA--the Seventh Day Adventist community 60 miles east of Los Angeles. Now consider the Okinawans. Though not Japanese themselves, they had been conquered by the Japanese, and forced to fight against the Americans. Many Okinawans, frightened by tales of American atrocities, committed suicide upon the approach of the American forces. Instead, the Americans helped the Okinawans. Ironically, however, the Okinawans were subsequently hurt by the Americans--but in a totally unexpected and unintentional way. Americans built a lot of fast-food joints, and the health of the Okinawans--especially the younger ones--began to decline.

This book not only provides suggestions for extending one's lifespan, but also gives the reader an invaluable set of geography lessons. In the end, centenarians really cannot tell us why they lived to an age of 100 or more (p. xxi). But this book is fascinating nonetheless. There is a bibliography at the end of the book for further reading on the topics of longevity, better health, stress-free living, etc. The citations come from magazine articles, books, and scientific and medical journals.

I know we all have the capability to extend our lifespans if we are motivated to do so. I have spent the last ten years or so reading everything I could on the subject longevity. Even though I thought I "knew it all", this book taught me much. I especially enjoyed the personal stories and specific information on living a longer, happier, healthier life. I highly recommend it. Pamela D. Blair, author The Next Fifty Years: A Guide for Women at Mid-Life And Beyond

I really enjoyed the book. As a student and teacher of geography I do not know if I buy into the notion that these "Blue Zones" are truly scientifically significant. I think that people living well past 100 can be found just about anywhere on the globe if they can remain in relative good health...from Chihuahua Mexico or Northern Burma, East Texas or South Whales. It has little to do with a "zone" per se, and much to do with lifestyle. Having said that, I liked the wisdom and advice found within the pages of the book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a way to grow old with grace.

This book is important for everyone interested in sorting through the patterns of our society that lead to ill health and a unnaturally shortened life. There are so many self help and diet books that approach this subject and many have pieces of the puzzle but "The Blue Zone" is a wonderful and quite unbiased look at the lives of centenarians who live in four regions of the world where there are high concentrations of centenarians. I would highly recommend this book and also "The China Study" to any friend.

This book, if nothing else was a very interesting read. The stories Mr. Buettner told about the different people in the Blue Zones areas were short of amazing. I especially enjoyed the story of 100 year old Panchita from Costa Rica and her 80 year old son who would bicycle from his house in the next village to her house every morning. I don't know how far this was, but it was many miles of dirt road going up and down hills. I don't know about you but I couldn't bicycle a mile on pavement at 60 yrs. This is just a small example of some of the amazing stories in this book. For some people it is just the lack of modern convenience & foods that have actually been their good fortune. This book has showed us that our bodies are much better off without some of these modern day killers. A highly recommended read. The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest

I am Vegetarian (age 75), as is one of my daughters (age 48), and the other (age 45) is Vegan. We firmly believe our life style supports our good health and sense of well-being. We are all three busy professionals and active ameteur athletes. "The Blue Zones" is not only supportive of a primarily-plant diet and consistent exercise, but it is a good read, accurate without being too technical. I thoroughly enjoyed it and use it as a reference, I have told friends about it, loaned my copy and bought more copies as gifts. It is especially heartening to know that we can, indeed, create our own Blue Zone right at home--but it was hard not to jump forward to that chapter!

A book about being alive longer than the other guy. Seems like a plan to me. Read this book!

I was planning to order this book until I got a chance to review a couple of copies in a bookstore. Both hardback copies were falling apart in the store. The content of the book may be fine, but the publisher did such a poor job constructing the hardcover edition that you'd be better off waiting for the paperback. It certainly can't be worse than the hardcover.

An easy to read anecdotal book that gives a broad overview on successful lifestyles that have proven to be successful at elongating your days. Not over-done w/statistics or charts. Worth a quick read.

I will not repeat in this review what other reviewers have said about the four zones in which centenarians are found, and the nine principles for long and healthy life.( I have reservations about the wine- drinking idea, but am fine with what is said about reduced caloric intake, avoiding processed foods and red meat, strengthening familial and communal connection,engaging in regular often non- thought about physical activity, putting things if possible in big picture perspective)
I would simply note that the communities in question share certain belief - systems, and what might be called a limited openness to the world. i.e. Their strong family and communal ties suggest that they are largely focused within these worlds. Stress which is a major no- no on everyone's list for longevity comes from encountering difficulties in life, contradictions from other worlds. Contending with the world means anxiety over crucial decisions.
The question I would want to ask then is whether there are not many people who would rather live a shorter but for them more meaningful lives by more openly contending with the contradictions of world and experience? I would ask whether that is the 'goal of a long happy life' however clearly good and right in itself stands the test of being the 'right goal for all people in all circumstances'.
With that said there is no doubt that this book contains considerable useful information and guidance may help readers improve the quality of their lives.

In my life I have learned that the key to a balanced life is to always incorporate/exercise/nuture your mind, body, soul and social-emotional aspects. What Dan and the team discovered is a real-life first hand experience validation that this is key not only for longevity but also for happiness. One of the amazon reviewers said that there is nothing new here, well I disagree. We of course are fed by the media news bites of studies on the cellular level or human metabolic studies of food, summaries of surveys relating to happiness, and those relative to stress.... These are all great and important pieces of information and extending my learing further I personally have read and heard a lot of different scientific controlled studies on topics such as this (I am a bit of a geek but to my defense I work in the Health Care industry : ) ). What is fascinating about this book is that it is a journey that the author takes you on...meeting the people understanding their day-to-day lives and getting a feel for their attitudes. 100+ is just a number, albeit a fascinating number but living a good life seems to be the underlying message here. At its onset it probably was not intended to be a journey about much more than age and but in the end turned out to be so much more.

I am a regular listener to the podcast 'Fitness Rocks' which sometimes really delves into peer review scientific studies on diet and exercise and a lot of these same things observed in the blue zones are seen in controlled studies. I recommend the Fitness Rocks podcast to anyone that is interested in furthering their knowledge.

The Blue Zones with a little bit of science and a lot of real life experiences was just a fantastic read for me.

Bruce

After reading The Blue Zones, I immediately started analyzing my life and seeing how many of the Power9 I could actually start really focusing on in my day to day activities. I feel The Blue Zones contains not only ideas about how to live longer but also how to live your life to the fullest. Dan Buettner's 9 common denominators, that all of the world's longevity all-stars have in common, provide us with how to be healthier both physically and mentally. It's not a diet. It's not a secret. These Power9's are traits that will not only help me live longer but also live a happier and healthier life. I was so intrigued by the book that I wanted to know more so I went to BlueZones.com. This site has a wealth of additional resources not to mention the amazing Vitality Compass that Buettner has created. I've can't even keep track of how many "self help" books I've read trying to better myself both mentally, physically, and spiritually, and The Blue Zones by far seems the easiest and simplest. All of the centenarians that Dan speaks about live their lives putting family, friends, and faith first. In this unbelievably fast-paced world we live in, I find myself forgetting about these three things. The Blue Zones now has a permanent spot on my coffee table. To top it off, Dan's writing style is one of the best I've ever read. He catches the reader's attention within the first few sentences and maintains this level throughout the entire book. Even though I was reading his words in the comfort of my home, he makes the reader feel like he's sharing his indelible stories with you over a cup of coffee. Kudos to Dan Buettner for writing a book that encompasses not only how to live a longer life, but also how to enjoy our lives every step of the way. The Blue Zones is a must read and should be a permanent fixture on everyone's coffee table!

I'm somewhat surprised by the number of positive reviews here. Nothing really new here from what I can see. I think we've all been told countless times that American culture with its emphasis on youth, materialism, individualism, and work place success, often comes at the price of poor familial relations, high stress levels, poor diet, and lack of exercise, all of which serve to shorten life span.

Other cultures or zones if you will (with the notable exception of one micro zone in the U.S.) that foster collectivism, good family relations, vegetarian diets, an agrarian way of life, respect for elders, and simple lifestyles, all seem to perpetuate longevity.

Clearly there are some cultural nuances in the specific zones that support an unusually high share of centurions, but for the most part they simply reflect the aforementioned characteristics, all of which we've heard before.

For the reader looking to gain insight into how to maximize their longevity and quality of life, I would advise looking elsewhere since there are no great secrets in this book.

We all want to live forever in good health and with as little pain as we can get away with and this has been true as long as there have been people. Nowadays, especially in the industrialized countries, we live longer, in better health, and in a kind of luxury unimagined even a century ago. Nearly as long as there have been people there have been folks to tell them how to live longer and better lives. Some of the advice is good, but most of it is junk. The reality is, your genetics put some bound on how long you are likely to live and add some probability for various kinds of illness despite your best efforts. However, how you live your life does have a profound impact on its quality and some impact on your longevity.

This book studies the lives of people who have lived in various "blue zones' (places where groups of people live well beyond an expected life span). Dan Buettner takes us into Sardinia, Okinawa, Southern California, Costa Rica, and then distills lessons that you can apply to your life. In each of these locales, he shows us how they live and what they do. He admits the old folks don't know any more about how they lived so long any more than an NBA center knows how he got tall. And the principles he prescribes are quite sensible. It seems to me that you can live a better quality of life by implementing them and may well live longer because you will be happier and less anxious about your life.

I don't have a problem with telling you the nine lessons or principles because the other material he provides with them is useful and instructive in understanding and implementing them. The nine principles are:

1) Be active without having to think about it.
2) Cut your calories by 20% by the way you eat (and some by what you eat).
3) Avoid meat and processed foods (does this seem almost un-American?)
4) Drink red wine in moderation (I disagree with this)
5) Take time to see the big picture.
6) Take time to relieve stress
7) Participate in a spiritual community (I strongly agree with this)
8) Make family a priority (I agree with this even more)
9) Be surrounded by those who share Blue Zone values (being around the like minded does help lower stress and reinforce commitment, right?)

If you are in the market for a book on living a healthier, longer, and happier life, this could be a good choice. I found it a good read.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

Dan Buettner has captured, in my assessment, the essence of vitality and longevity. When people can answer the question, "Why do I get up in the morning?", they have the grounding upon which to build a long and vital life. Without the power of purpose the healthy habits don't take hold as well. This book should be on the bedside reading stand of everyone, age 50 and beyond!

Published by the National Geographic made this book a reliable read for me. It is so full of valuable information, including the website http://www.bluezones.com mentioned in the book on page 228 where you can do the Vitality Compass. And one of the many wise pieces of advise given (page 213_ deals with learning to move or be active without thinking about it.

Liked this, because I see so many people over the age of seventy where I live out walking for walking enjoyment, not for any physical fitness routine. Same with going to the gym. People I know simply see everyday movement as natural and healthy.

Lesson Five: Purpose Now Take time to see the big picture is something we need to start teaching our young. The whole idea of seeing a purpose however small in getting up in the morning.

Lesson Seven: Belong Participate in a spiritual community shouldn't turn anyone off. Fact is their research shows that belonging to a community where one thinks about something bigger, and is around people who believe in prayer and positive purpose live not only longer but healthier and happier lives. They mention Dr Gary Frasers book Diet, Life Expectancy and Chronic Disease which is a good book.

Also like the information on diet and how healthy eating doesn't mean boring or not fun. Simply eating less, and not so much meat can make a difference they say and I agree. They do NOT say never eat meat. Which reminded me of the exchange students we have had in our home whose eyes would grow big when they would see the steaks on the BBQ at peoples homes, and then see a steak plopped on their plate. This was a shock to them, because no matter if they were from Asia or Scandinavia, meat was more of a condiment, served in small servings, rather that THE meal.

I am in the process of writing a book very similar to what Dan Buettner wrote. However the focus of my book are people who had lived 150 years or more, such as Li Ching Yun, who died in 1933 at the age of 256 years. In my research of these supercentenarians, I found a few people still alive today that have surpassed 150 years. Of these incredible people, my focus is now on a living immortal whom I fully believe is nearly 2,800 years old.

Like Mr. Buettner, my intentions was to find out how these amazing people survive for so many years. I fully believed that if we could model the lifestyle of these supercentenarians, we too could live a much longer and healthier life style. Ironically, my research did produce many similar lifestyle choices that Mr. Buettner discovered researching his centenarians.

From my research, my top 7 common traits of supercentenarians are:
1. Beliefs
2. Love
3. Attitude
4. Energy
5. Exercise
6. Diet
7. Reduce the stress

From what I have read about Mr. Buettner's research, he found very similar commonalities with the centenarians he researched. So I am congratulating Mr. Buettner on creating a great book that will help many in improving our health and extending our lives.

If you are serious about the subject of immortality, I am summarizing my research and findings on my main blog at www.Ben-Abba.com .

And for a published version of my research, check out my soon to be published book: "Secrets of an Immortal - An Eyewitness Account of 2,800 Years of History".

The "Blue Zones" are the places in the world where people live longer, healthier, more vital lives. This book reveals the wisdom of staying young as practiced in parts of the world where people enjoy long life-spans. Author, Dan Buettner, takes us to these cultures where people live the longest and healthiest and reveals their secrets by distilling them into practical tips we can all use. The book combines the lifestyle choices naturally ingrained in these long-lived groups with the latest scientific research.

The book includes stories of people in their nineties and those who have lived beyond one-hundred from such places as Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Loma, Linda, CA; and Costa Rica. The author observes how people eat, exercise, deal with stress, and view life, and the impact of their lifestyle on their health and longevity.

Healthy lifestyles and healthy choices seem to be at the root of what keeps people in certain cultures living healthy longer. The healthy lifestyle choices these Blue Zone people live under include eating vegetables; limiting sugar, fat, and meat; a high level of physical activity and physical labor though out their lives into old age; a plethora of social and familial relationships; and an ability to deal with stress through supportive relationships and physical activity.

Aging does not need to be a dismal journey into the abyss. This book is a great reminder that by making healthy choices in all aspects of our lives we can affect not only our lifespan, but our quality of life as we push past the century mark! Debra Lawrence, author of THE 3:00 PM SECRET: Live Slim and Strong, Live Your Dreams

Back in the 50's, it was the Hunza people who the were exemplars of longlived folk in popular literature about healthy living. The Hunza valley is popularly believed to be the inspiration for Shangri-la, the place of the immortals in James Hilton's novel "Lost Horizon." The Hunza live in high altitude, eat whole grains, and this was the model for much of health food lore in the 50's. Then there were the Georgians, famous in the 80's, whose long life was attributed to the consumption of yogurt. Now it's the Okinawans, Mediterraneans and Costa Ricans who have the secret of long life.

The "Blue Zone" is how these areas with a high percentage of centenarians is designated. In this book, the author combines lessons from various zones around the world. In this way, not only are the different cultures described, but the commonalities are easily derived from the chapters. And they are hardly surprising, but it's great to have them all in one book because you can see that it's not yogurt or fermented mare's milk or a diet rich in tofu and fermented bean paste and fish--it's healthy habits. They are pretty much (no surprise here), a diet including plenty of fresh, unchilled water, lots of vegetables, limited meat and fats and sweets, and the habit of hard farm work or walking and exercise and having a richly entwined family life and close group of friends--a support system. (Doesn't the Bible say "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you." Exodus 20:12)

This book is excellent not only for the interesting anthropological information, but because you can see that long life is really something that is a matter of habits and practices, not just eating a bowl of yogurt or using olive oil instead of butter.

In a world of questionable claims and dubious pseudoscience about how to live a long and productive life, this book stands out. The author defines a "Blue Zone" as an area where there is an unusually high number of people living a century or more. Furthermore, they are people who have remained mentally and physically vibrant as they aged. Four areas are identified and examined:

*) In the Barbagia region of the Italian island of Sardinia in the Mediterranean Sea. In one village of 2,500 there were seven people 100 years or older.
*) The Japanese islands of Okinawa, site of one of the bloodiest battles in World War II.
*) Loma Linda, California where the people who make it a Blue Zone are Seventh Day Adventists.
*) An area of Costa Rica in Central America.

As a mathematician/statistician, my first thought was that this would turn out to be another false claim. I based this on two natural premises.

*) While modern records are complete, the birth records of these people would extend back to the start of the twentieth century, a time when the recording of births was much less precise. Therefore, some of the claims of advanced age could be false.
*) Given the large number of potential Blue Zones that could be created, the four cited in the book could just be statistical anomalies that can be expected due to the workings of chance. Those anomalies could also be due to the concentration of the members of a single family whose genetic makeup strongly favors long life.

The meticulous scholarship of various people, which includes the author, renders the first objection untenable. By examining the records in detail, there is no doubt that the ages of the people are accurate and the Blue Zones do exist.
The second objection is much harder to refute. The world is a big place and slight modifications of the borders can turn something that is close to a Blue Zone into something that is. Certain families have the genes for longevity, for example the people in one line of my wife's family routinely live into their nineties. Given the numbers of the Barbagia region, the presence of one or two such families could be enough to create a Blue Zone. While this would not change the fact that the data is interesting, a genetic anomaly would render any lifestyle conclusions moot for everyone else lacking the appropriate genetic components.
In carrying out a comparison of the lifestyles of the people in the Blue Zones around the world, some common factors clearly emerge.

*) They all have a strong and supportive social structure. All remain active in their community, they are surrounded by people who care about them and that they care about.
*) The centenarians have worked at heavy physical labor their entire lives and most still do. While they do eat meat, it is not a daily component of their diets.
*) The centenarians tend to have a lower level of stress in their lives and the hard work tends to help them burn off what stress they have.

These factors are not news to anyone who pays attention to the elements of a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, there is no reason to suspect an unusual environmental factor being a cause of the Blue Zone. Eat healthy, avoiding stress and exercise are the three key ingredients to a long and healthy life and that is true inside and outside the Blue Zones.
This book is a welcome and refreshing contribution to the literature about living longer. Although it is readable in nature and tone, it is scholarly enough to pass all tests of dubious credibility.