Mohamed bin Zayed Majlis hosts lecture on 'blue zones'

The Majlis of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces hosted this evening a lecture entitled "Blue Zones: The secrets of long life", delivered by Dan Buettner, members of the National geographic Society.

The lecture was attended by H.H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, Sheikh Dhiyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikhs, senior officials, and diplomats.

Buettner said in 2004, he teamed up with National Geographic and the world's best longevity researchers to identify pockets around the world where people live measurably longer better. In these "Blue Zones" they found that people reach age 100 at rates 10 times greater than in the United States.

He identified longevity hotspots in Okinawa (Japan); Sardinia (Italy); Nicoya (Costa Rica); Icaria (Greece); and among the Seventh-day Adventists in Loma Linda, California, and offered an explanation, based on empirical data and first hand observations, as to why these populations live healthier and longer lives.

After identifying 5 of the world's Blue Zones, Dan and National Geographic took teams of scientists to each location to identify lifestyle characteristics that might explain longevity. They found that the lifestyles of all Blue Zones residents shared nine specific characteristics.

According to Buettner, the people inhabiting Blue Zones share common lifestyle characteristics that contribute to their longevity, including stable family lives, less smoking, semi-vegetarianism, constant moderate physical activity, social engagement and common consumption of legumes.

Dan Buettner holds three world records for endurance bicycling. He is the founder of the online Quest Network, Inc., which provides opportunities for students to interactively engage with explorers on expedition.
Source: WAM