Live longer, but live healthy. It is the milestone of healthy aging medicine, and the desire of many people today. The world record for longevity is held by a French woman, Jeanne Calment, who died at the age of 122, but right now the oldest person in the world is a Catalan woman, Maria Branyas, who turned 116 last March.
Although Spain continues to be one of the countries with the highest life expectancy in the world (82.2 years), there are areas on the planet, called 'blue zones', where more people over 100 years of age are concentrated. It was Dan Bruettner, a National Geographic researcher, who identified these 'blue zones'.
Scientists and demographers study the local characteristics and common lifestyle habits of these areas that would explain healthy longevity. And let us remember, as Dr. Ángel Durántez, a specialist in anti-aging medicine, comments, that “we carry 20% of genetics, but between 70 and 80% of aging is in our hands.” That is, a large part of the deterioration process over time is conditioned by what we do, how we eat, and how “we behave in life.”
Borja Bandera, a doctor specializing in endocrinology, explains in his book Let habits be your medicine (Grijalbo), which are the factors that would explain longevity. “There is no foolproof recipe for healthy aging, but there are some common factors that longevity research has been able to demonstrate.” These are some of the factors.
