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Is The Okinawa “Blue Zone” a Myth?
Is Okinawa crazy healthy — or just crazy poor?
By Jay Andrew Allen
Last week was Respect for the Aged Day (敬老の日; keirou no hi) in Japan. As part of an annual ritual, the government celebrated some of its longest-lived citizens, giving the oldest special gifts. However, the very same week, a unique scientific award celebrated a researcher whose work questioned the entire concept of “Blue Zones.”
Are Japan’s oldest citizens as old as we think? In particular, is the so-called “Blue Zone” in Okinawa nothing but a myth?
110-year-old: “No freaking clue” how he’s lived so long
There’s no doubt that humans are living longer. Life span expectancies have risen consistently in developed nations for decades.
That holds true for Japan as well. In 1980, men lived to an average of 73.35 years, while women lived until 78.76 years of age. Today, men live until 81.05, and women live until 87.09. Those numbers saw their first downward decline in a decade in the past few years due to the public health crisis.
