Study Identifies Sardinian Village Bolotana as Potential New 'Blue Zone' for Female Longevity
On October 4, a study in Frontiers in Aging identified Bolotana, a mountainous town in Sardinia with a population of approximately 2,300, as a potential new "blue zone." Women in Bolotana who reach the age of 70 are three times more likely to live to 100 compared to their counterparts in the U.S. The research team confirmed the ages of 38 centenarians from a sample of 3,060 individuals born between 1900 and 1925. The likelihood of women in Bolotana living to 100 is 13.83%, whereas it is 4.92% for men, 3.5% for Italian women, and 3.6% for U.S. women. Giovanni Mario Pes, the lead author, attributes this longevity to social connections, dietary habits, and lifestyle, while co-author Dan Buettner cautions that contemporary influences may jeopardize this longevity. Some researchers remain skeptical about the blue zones theory.
Key facts
- A study published October 4 in Frontiers in Aging suggests Bolotana, Sardinia, may be a new "blue zone."
- Bolotana has about 2,300 residents and is located in the mountains of the Italian island of Sardinia.
- Women in Bolotana who reach 70 are about three times as likely to live to 100 as women in the United States.
- Of 3,060 people born in Bolotana between 1900 and 1925, 38 were confirmed to have lived to at least 100.
- Women aged 70 in Bolotana have a 13.83 percent chance of reaching 100, compared with 4.92 percent for men, 3.5 percent in Italy and 3.6 percent in the U.S.
- Bolotana's female population appears second only to Hong Kong among the world's longest-lived.
- Proposed factors include plant-based diets, walking steep streets, multi-generational households and strong social relations.
- Co-author Dan Buettner warns the longevity phenomenon could disappear within a generation if modern diets and technology reach the village.
Entities
Artists
- Giovanni Mario Pes
- Dan Buettner
- S. Jay Olshansky
- Marisa Montibeller
- Giovanna Marras
- Angela Giuffrida
- Jessica Roy
- Sarah Kuta
Institutions
- University of Sassari
- Frontiers in Aging
- Blue Zones
- Guardian
- National Geographic
- Smithsonian Magazine
Locations
- Bolotana
- Sardinia
- Italy
- United States
- Okinawa
- Japan
- Ikaria
- Greece
- Nicoya Peninsula
- Costa Rica
- Hong Kong
- Longmont
- Colorado