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ITHACA, New York / The Cornell Daily Sun / Blogs / October 14, 2009
Is it Something in the Water? | The Cornell Daily Sun
By Rachael Grant
Eternal life and longevity have been a prominent theme in folklore and fairy tales since the dawn of time. With a new found obsession for vampires in fiction and movies, the old tale of the philosopher’s stone, and the ageless anecdote of the infamous Fountain of Youth, living forever has quite obviously been a lustful dream for the human population since the beginning of time.
And with science unraveling the secrets behind aging, immortality has reemerged and is surrounded by hopeful possibility. But what is it that allows some to get closer to this dream than others? Dan Buettner’s book
The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest explores just that.
In my last article of a series devoted to analyzing this book, the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica is on the cutting board and I’ve saved the best for last.
While all four of the Blue Zones contribute lessons towards achieving old age, the Costa Rican Blue Zone contributes a little mystery that we all crave.
As Buettner explored the Nicoya Peninsula, he questioned just what it was that separated the Nicoya Peninsula from the rest of Costa Rica. Why had the population lived to such old ages in such a high concentration? Physically, Nicoya is the hottest and driest region in Costa Rica, receives more sunlight per day, and most importantly has water bubbling from a unique limestone bedrock. Some say that the Nicoyan waters are of the Fountain of Youth that haunted the dreams of the famous Ponce de Leon. And scientists have confirmed that the composition of the water that supplies the Nicoyan Peninsula has properties that may explain to an extent the increased longevity of the population. Buettner recruited scientists to test the waters and what they found was sky-high levels of calcium and magnesium.
If the average Nicoyan consumed about 6 liters of water per day, they would be meeting daily requirements of both important nutrients necessary for a healthy diet. Buettner says, “The heart is a muscle and all muscle contractions depend on calcium. Inadequate calcium means weak muscles- including the heart. Old people often have too little calcium in their bodies. So having extra-hard water may help keep Nicoyans’ hearts strong for longer.”
So maybe it is something in the water.
Like all other Blue Zones, the Nicoya Peninsula contributes many other lessons towards living past one hundred. Buettner summarizes them as “to have a plan de vida”, “keep a focus on family”, “eat a light dinner”, “maintain social networks”, “keep hard at work” and “cook corn with lime”.
The Nicoya Peninsula is comparable to Sardinia, Okinawa, and Loma Linda because their centenarians live life with purpose. They say that once a person loses this focus and purpose, it is not soon after that they die. In addition, a recent Cornell study exposed that cooking corn instills them with a higher concentration of calcium and antioxidants. As many others have said, eating larger meals earlier in the day and smaller meals at night leads to more energy and a healthier weight.
Buettner also claims oranges to be a longevity food and contributes their powers to their high levels of vitamin C, potassium, and folate. Since not all of us live in areas with hard water to the levels of that of the Nicoyan Peninsula, dairy and dark green leafy vegetables are a great source of the rejuvenating calcium and magnesium. And to end the day out right, Buettner suggests to get between 7 to 9 hours of sleep, go to sleep and wake up at a similar time every day, and keep the bedroom dark, quiet, and cool.
When summarizing all four Blue Zones and their tips towards living to 100 and beyond, I’ve found that “Eat, drink, and be merry” might be the proper philosophy to live by. In moderation, of course! [
rc]
© 2009 The Cornell Daily Sun
By Rachael Grant
Eternal life and longevity have been a prominent theme in folklore and fairy tales since the dawn of time. With a new found obsession for vampires in fiction and movies, the old tale of the philosopher’s stone, and the ageless anecdote of the infamous Fountain of Youth, living forever has quite obviously been a lustful dream for the human population since the beginning of time.
And with science unraveling the secrets behind aging, immortality has reemerged and is surrounded by hopeful possibility. But what is it that allows some to get closer to this dream than others? Dan Buettner’s book The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest explores just that.
In my last article of a series devoted to analyzing this book, the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica is on the cutting board and I’ve saved the best for last.
While all four of the Blue Zones contribute lessons towards achieving old age, the Costa Rican Blue Zone contributes a little mystery that we all crave.
As Buettner explored the Nicoya Peninsula, he questioned just what it was that separated the Nicoya Peninsula from the rest of Costa Rica. Why had the population lived to such old ages in such a high concentration? Physically, Nicoya is the hottest and driest region in Costa Rica, receives more sunlight per day, and most importantly has water bubbling from a unique limestone bedrock. Some say that the Nicoyan waters are of the Fountain of Youth that haunted the dreams of the famous Ponce de Leon. And scientists have confirmed that the composition of the water that supplies the Nicoyan Peninsula has properties that may explain to an extent the increased longevity of the population. Buettner recruited scientists to test the waters and what they found was sky-high levels of calcium and magnesium.
If the average Nicoyan consumed about 6 liters of water per day, they would be meeting daily requirements of both important nutrients necessary for a healthy diet. Buettner says, “The heart is a muscle and all muscle contractions depend on calcium. Inadequate calcium means weak muscles- including the heart. Old people often have too little calcium in their bodies. So having extra-hard water may help keep Nicoyans’ hearts strong for longer.”
So maybe it is something in the water.
Like all other Blue Zones, the Nicoya Peninsula contributes many other lessons towards living past one hundred. Buettner summarizes them as “to have a plan de vida”, “keep a focus on family”, “eat a light dinner”, “maintain social networks”, “keep hard at work” and “cook corn with lime”.
The Nicoya Peninsula is comparable to Sardinia, Okinawa, and Loma Linda because their centenarians live life with purpose. They say that once a person loses this focus and purpose, it is not soon after that they die. In addition, a recent Cornell study exposed that cooking corn instills them with a higher concentration of calcium and antioxidants. As many others have said, eating larger meals earlier in the day and smaller meals at night leads to more energy and a healthier weight.
Buettner also claims oranges to be a longevity food and contributes their powers to their high levels of vitamin C, potassium, and folate. Since not all of us live in areas with hard water to the levels of that of the Nicoyan Peninsula, dairy and dark green leafy vegetables are a great source of the rejuvenating calcium and magnesium. And to end the day out right, Buettner suggests to get between 7 to 9 hours of sleep, go to sleep and wake up at a similar time every day, and keep the bedroom dark, quiet, and cool.
When summarizing all four Blue Zones and their tips towards living to 100 and beyond, I’ve found that “Eat, drink, and be merry” might be the proper philosophy to live by. In moderation, of course! [rc]
© 2009 The Cornell Daily Sun
