Plant-based diet instrumental in longevity

What do the longest living populations in the world have in common? You’ve guessed it: lots of plants!

All over the world there are little pockets of people with a remarkable high number of centenarians. The communities have some traits in common which include eating predominantly plant-based and leading an active but simple life with focus on their loved ones and the community they are a part of.  

In 2004, Dan Buttner, the National Geographic explorer and journalist, termed these pockets “Blue Zones” after he and a team of scientists and demographers had discovered and studied communities where people lived notably longer and at the same time enjoyed a high quality of life into their senior years. Through analysis including demographic data and interviews, five regions stood out for their extraordinary longevity and vitality.  

Amounting evidence in the scientific community is showing what the Blue Zones seem to already know: A plant-based diet is providing us with everything our bodies need to live a vibrant life! There are many reasons with some important ones being:

1. Immune system: Your immune system thrives because plants supply our bodies with vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals – many of which we can’t get anywhere else. In addition, a plant rich diet is full of antioxidants which help keep your cells healthy and your body in balance.
2. Help reduce inflammation: Plants are anti-inflammatory which, in addition to boosting your immune system, also helps neutralize toxins from more processed foods, bacteria, viruses and pollution.
3. Rich in Fiber: Plant foods are the only way you can get important fiber. Getting enough fiber has numerous benefits including fostering a healthy microbiome, keeping us “regular” and because it takes longer to digest than other nutrients, it keeps us full for longer which helps maintain a healthy weight. As if that’s not enough, fiber is also shown to help with high blood pressure, maintaining optimal cholesterol levels, reducing blood sugar spikes and it is even shown to reduce the risk of several diseases including heart disease, colorectal cancer, and type 2 diabetes.

Go further: 5 Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet, by Heather Alexander.

A recent study out of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health provides a strong link between the consumption of red meat and type 2 diabetes. Just two servings per week (one serving is equal to 85 g of unprocessed beef, pork or lamb or 28 g of bacon or 45 g of hotdogs) elevates the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes during the study period.

Not surprisingly, type 2 diabetes and other so-called “lifestyle” diseases are rarer in Blue Zone pockets. A study that followed Blue Zoners in Loma Linda, California, showed how the ones that adhered to a completely plant-based diet had a significantly reduced risk of all-cause mortality. They also show a 60% reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus and approximately 16% lower cancer risk than non-vegetarians. Inflammation markers (C-reactive protein) were found lower in vegetarians than in mixed dieters and vegan men had approximately 35% lower prostate cancer risk.

What is interesting from a climate perspective is how these long-living communities not only lead a vibrant and happy life but also seem to do it with a much lower footprint. The focus on walking instead of driving, eating a predominantly plant-based diet and values that tend to focus on relationships and a sense of belonging over material wealth, all point to a lifestyle that puts much less strain not just on our planet but also on us humans.