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[birds chirping]
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[bells tolling]
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[lively music playing]
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[indistinct chatter]
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{\an8}[Dan] Eleni, you were telling me
about the dough here.
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{\an8}It's not just
plain old bread dough, is it?
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I put a little bit, um, sourdough.
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Inside is a pie.
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Onions, leeks, fresh onions,
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and herbs.
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{\an8}- A lot of herbs.
- Oh my God.
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[Dan] It's not gonna shock people
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to learn that there's
a longevity hotspot in Greece.
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After all, Greece is one of the homes
of the Mediterranean diet.
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Everybody knows the Mediterranean diet
is good for you,
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with its greens
and olive oil instead of butter
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and sparing use of meat.
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[lively music continues]
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[Dan] We know that produces
healthier populations.
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But here's this one special Island
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that is producing outsized numbers
when it comes to longevity,
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and that is Ikaria.
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Here's a population living
about seven years longer than Americans
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with about half the rate
of cardiovascular disease.
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[Dan] And what was really interesting is,
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as I was meeting people
over 60 or 70 or 100,
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I couldn't find any cases of dementia.
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[speaking Greek]
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[laughing]
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[Dan] So I knew
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I had to find how this island
is different than all the rest.
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[dramatic music playing]
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[peaceful music playing]
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[Dan] So when I find
a place with outsized longevity,
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I want to understand how it's different.
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And a good place to look
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is history and geography.
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Ikaria has this very unique culture
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because it had no natural ports.
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By the Middle Ages,
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Ikaria was almost completely isolated
from the rest of the ancient world.
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Ikarians couldn't depend on a boat
arriving with a bunch of supplies,
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so they had to figure out
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how to eke a living
out of this really rough, rocky soil.
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And it pushed a resilience
that you did not see in other places.
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They had to develop
an ability to live off the land,
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an ability to identify plants
and harness bees
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and cooperate against
really difficult situations.
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And it's actually
through that difficulty and hardship
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that they emerge
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as one of the healthiest populations
on the planet.
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[peaceful music continues]
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{\an8}[Dan] Thank you for the almonds.
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{\an8}All right. Okay, we have
a few questions for you.
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[Thea in Greek] He wants to ask you
some questions now.
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[Dan in English]
When it comes to what life was like...
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We heard before 1980
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that Ikaria was
completely self-sufficient.
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What does she remember about that time?
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[in Greek] You can find
whatever you want in stores now.
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But back then,
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we only had flour
because we grew it ourselves.
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We had to mill our own wheat.
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You know what our coffee was back then?
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It was barley and chickpeas,
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which we roasted and brewed.
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[in English] So they literally
bought nothing?
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[gentle guitar music playing]
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[Dan] So Ikarians had to learn
how to survive on their own.
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What emerges is a very different
sort of Greek way of living.
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[bees buzzing]
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[Dan] They had to learn
how to identify plants
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to use for food, for greens,
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for herbs, for spices, for medicines.
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And so the Ikarians developed a habit
of drinking these local herbal teas.
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What kind of herbal teas do you drink?
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[in Greek] Sage tea,
rosemary tea, common mallow tea.
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[Dan in English] What's the best tea
to drink on a daily basis?
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- [speaking Greek]
- [in English] Wine.
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[all laughing]
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[Dan] Grape tea!
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[laughing]
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[Dan] I like the way you roll. [laughs]
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Drinking herbal teas, especially
when you're doing it for decades,
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has a litany of health benefits,
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and one of them
actually might be lower rates of dementia.
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They're all anti-inflammatory,
antioxidant,
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and they contain often diuretics,
which lower blood pressure.
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Herbal tea is
something that persists to this day
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and has a very strong tie
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to the extraordinary longevity
on the island.
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[in Greek] Honey?
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[Dan in English] Yeah, a little bit.
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Is this homemade honey as well?
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- [Thea] This is from Ikaria.
- [Dan] Perfect.
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It's so easy to put tablespoon
after tablespoon of sugar in our tea.
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In America, the go-to sweetener
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is either sugar
or high fructose corn syrup.
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But in Ikaria, for millennia,
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it's been honey.
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[bees buzzing]
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[Dan] There are several
interesting dimensions of Ikarian honey.
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The beekeepers actually move their hives
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as the season progresses.
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So, at the beginning, it might be
with the wildflowers near the coast,
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but then eventually, they end up
in these pine forests near the top.
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So these bees are gathering the nectar
from different types of plants.
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With that nectar are other micronutrients
or other bioactive compounds.
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We know that honey
has shown to inhibit cancer.
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It seems that Ikarian honey
is contributing to longevity.
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What does that honey look like
compared to honey in a grocery store,
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and is it healthier somehow?
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[in Greek] The problem with some
store-bought honey is it's been boiled.
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As a result,
they destroy the pollen grains,
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and it turns into sugar.
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[in English] You never boil the honey
or warm it a lot.
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Even if you use it in the tea
as a sweetener,
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just leave the tea
until the point that you can drink it.
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[Dan] Because the honey in Ikaria
is not pasteurized,
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it's not boiled,
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the nutrients and the bioactive compounds
aren't destroyed in the processing of it.
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That means Ikarian honey
is basically from the bee to your tea,
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and that seems to have
an extra added benefit.
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So for me, when I start thinking
of the sweetener I'm gonna go to,
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it's gonna be a raw honey,
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and ideally a honey
like the one we see in Ikaria.
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[mellow music playing]
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[Dan] In Ikaria this time,
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I had a really big epiphany around love.
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[woman in Greek] Taki,
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I brought green onions for our salad.
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You sharpened the knife
to cut the lettuce, right?
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[woman] For you.
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I sharpened it to cut the salad nicely
so you enjoy it.
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[Dan in English]
We know that when a spouse dies
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from a long-term relationship,
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your chances of dying
in the next three months
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go up by something like two-thirds.
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But here we have the reverse happening
with Aleka and Panagiotis.
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These two came to true love late in life.
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[in Greek] When my first wife passed away,
I had lost my appetite to live.
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I wouldn't talk.
I wouldn't laugh. I wouldn't eat.
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I fell into pieces,
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and she brought me back.
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I must have been 73.
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I was sitting on a bench at church
with my best friend.
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I was looking at the women
that were coming in.
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More than 40 women had entered.
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As soon as she stepped in,
an electric wave struck me.
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[Aleka] I don't remember who called who,
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and we met at Pezi Lake.
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He had prepared a meal for me.
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A picnic.
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And he played a tape and sang
"I love you because you're beautiful."
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When I was looking at him,
something was tickling my soul!
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I married my first husband at 16
and had a gloomy life,
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but you have made me complete,
and I have forgotten the past.
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I feel as if I have lived
all my years with you.
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[Dan in English] The power of happy,
committed partnerships may seem obvious,
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but we can't underestimate
how this type of connection
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{\an8}can lead to a longer, more fulfilled life.
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{\an8}People in the Blue Zones
make their partners a priority,
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{\an8}nurture their relationships
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{\an8}and invest in them.
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[Dan] I believe that wine has been playing
a surprisingly powerful role
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in Ikaria's longevity culture
throughout history.
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Greek myth actually says
the god of wine was born here.
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They've been using
the same grapes for centuries,
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and, not only that,
the same ancient process.
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Oh my God!
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It tastes like Ikaria on a spring day.
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- Yeah, that's a good wine.
- Not overly sweet. It's amazing.
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[man] So the Ikarians,
we have a winemaking method.
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Under this, there's an amphora and the...
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- [Dan] Which is a big clay vessel, right?
- [man] Yes.
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{\an8}The temperature on the top
might be what the sun...
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{\an8}- [Dan] Yeah.
- Uh, sunlight.
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But five centimeters under it,
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it's humid and cool.
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We collect the grapes manually.
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There's no machines.
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{\an8}It's a very long process
but gives very good quality.
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{\an8}- [Dan] Only the good grapes go in here.
- [Konstantinos] Yeah, exactly.
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[Dan] And here, instead of an oak barrel,
it's stored the way
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that people before the time of Christ
were storing wine.
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- Yes, yes.
- [Dan] It's amazing.
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We're all aware of the controversy
around wine and alcohol.
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But when you look at the wine in Ikaria,
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something different is happening here.
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The wine is natural.
There aren't any chemicals added to it.
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We also know that when drinking
Ikarian wine with a Mediterranean meal,
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you increase the absorption
of the antioxidants.
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You were telling me
that minerals that come out of the...
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[Konstantinos] Potassium.
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Phosphorus, boron, iron.
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Everything, like the microclimate,
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the quality of the grape,
the quality of the island,
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gives these unique qualities
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that they were able
to call it medicinal wine.
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This is nearly like drinking a supplement.
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[Konstantinos] Yes.
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[in Greek] To our health!
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[Dan] People in Ikaria have been drinking
the same wine for over 100 generations,
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and they're living the longest.
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And for me, that's enough of a connection
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to allow me to enjoy my glass of wine
at the end of the night.
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[playing a lively tune]
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[man singing in Greek]
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[Dan] So one of the bright spots in Ikaria
were the young people
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and how they not only
preserve these traditions,
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but they actually celebrate them.
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For me, where that most comes alive
is for the panegyris,
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these great all-night parties
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where people from 14 to 94
are coming together
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00:14:22,152 --> 00:14:24,780
and connecting socially and having fun.
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They are dancing all night long.
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And you look at it, and you might say,
"Well, big deal. They're at a party."
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But actually, an hour of running
or an hour of dancing
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are about equal
when it comes to caloric burn.
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But an hour of dancing is a blast.
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We've tended to associate
exercise with suffering.
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"If there's no pain, there's no gain."
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But in Ikaria,
we're learning that, actually,
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physical activity can be joyful.
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They are laughing the whole time.
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Laughter is good for our arteries.
It's good for heart disease.
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The happiness is palpable.
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I think what Blue Zones teach us
is that longevity can be joyous.
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It doesn't have to be a chore.
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And community, connection
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is the prescriptive to longevity.
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{\an8}[whimsical music playing]
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It wasn't surprising that you'd find
extraordinary longevity here.
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But after marinating in the beauty
and the culture of Ikaria,
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it wasn't until I traveled back
to the Americas that I found
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the most extraordinary centenarians
on the planet.
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{\an8}I remember the first time
I came to Nicoya.
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{\an8}I met up with my local guide,
Jorge Vindas.
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{\an8}Welcome to Nicoya.
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[Dan] He introduced me
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to one of the first centenarians
I was to meet in Costa Rica,
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a lady named Ponchita.
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00:16:17,893 --> 00:16:19,937
[both speaking Spanish]
244
00:16:20,020 --> 00:16:24,984
[Dan in English] One hundred and five
years old, and she was absolutely amazing.
245
00:16:27,695 --> 00:16:32,491
If there was one person
that embodied the promise of Blue Zones
246
00:16:32,574 --> 00:16:34,994
and what it offers the rest of us,
247
00:16:35,077 --> 00:16:36,161
it was Ponchita.
248
00:16:36,245 --> 00:16:37,162
[laughs]
249
00:16:37,246 --> 00:16:39,415
[in Spanish] You see? It's a good machete.
250
00:16:45,170 --> 00:16:49,216
[Dan in English] Nicoya is a rural,
remote region in northern Costa Rica,
251
00:16:49,299 --> 00:16:51,301
isolated from the rest of the country,
252
00:16:52,302 --> 00:16:53,804
an 80-mile peninsula,
253
00:16:53,887 --> 00:16:56,432
just south of the Nicaraguan border.
254
00:16:57,516 --> 00:17:00,644
In this Blue Zone, I found
that the proportion of centenarians
255
00:17:00,728 --> 00:17:04,732
is close to three and a half times
the global average.
256
00:17:04,815 --> 00:17:07,568
And, incredibly, from what I saw,
257
00:17:07,651 --> 00:17:11,238
many of them
live without medication or disability.
258
00:17:11,321 --> 00:17:13,949
In most of the world, the data is clear.
259
00:17:14,033 --> 00:17:17,244
You need to be wealthy
to afford to be healthy.
260
00:17:17,327 --> 00:17:19,872
As income goes up,
so does life expectancy.
261
00:17:21,290 --> 00:17:22,583
But Costa Rica's income
262
00:17:22,666 --> 00:17:25,669
is only about one-sixth
that of the United States,
263
00:17:25,753 --> 00:17:30,132
and yet they actually exceed
our average life expectancy.
264
00:17:30,215 --> 00:17:32,176
In fact, the Blue Zone here
265
00:17:32,259 --> 00:17:34,803
is among the poorest regions
in the country.
266
00:17:35,512 --> 00:17:38,348
People living in Nicaragua,
just 20 miles to the north,
267
00:17:38,432 --> 00:17:40,142
they're not living a long time,
268
00:17:40,225 --> 00:17:42,936
nor the people to the south
living in Panama.
269
00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:45,981
But here, there seems to be a sweet spot.
270
00:17:46,565 --> 00:17:51,153
People in Nicoya, Costa Rica,
are living among the longest in the world.
271
00:17:51,779 --> 00:17:52,779
Why is that?
272
00:18:09,129 --> 00:18:11,924
Ever meet somebody who,
when you find out how old they are,
273
00:18:12,007 --> 00:18:13,300
it just doesn't seem to match?
274
00:18:16,136 --> 00:18:19,139
So let me tell you a story
about a guy named Ramiro.
275
00:18:19,223 --> 00:18:22,309
So my colleague Jorge shows up
at a ranch in Costa Rica
276
00:18:22,392 --> 00:18:24,019
expecting to meet this centenarian.
277
00:18:24,103 --> 00:18:28,690
Instead, he meets this cowboy who's got,
you know, smooth skin and perfect teeth,
278
00:18:28,774 --> 00:18:32,861
and he's jumping on a horse
and lassoing cows and riding around.
279
00:18:32,945 --> 00:18:34,947
[Ramiro speaking Spanish]
280
00:18:41,453 --> 00:18:43,681
[Dan in English]
And after a while, he asked this Ramiro,
281
00:18:43,705 --> 00:18:46,375
you know, "I was
supposed to meet a centenarian,"
282
00:18:46,458 --> 00:18:48,544
and Ramiro says, "Well, that's me."
283
00:18:53,298 --> 00:18:55,676
And Jorge says, "Well, can I see your ID?"
284
00:18:55,759 --> 00:18:57,886
And, sure enough,
on his national identity,
285
00:18:57,970 --> 00:19:01,640
it says born August 1921, 100 years old.
286
00:19:02,307 --> 00:19:03,892
And Jorge still doesn't believe it.
287
00:19:03,976 --> 00:19:07,020
He travels to the capital city
a couple weeks later,
288
00:19:07,104 --> 00:19:08,814
looks up the national records,
289
00:19:08,897 --> 00:19:11,733
and, sure enough,
in these sequentially listed IDs,
290
00:19:11,817 --> 00:19:15,028
there is Ramiro, confirmed 100-year-old.
291
00:19:17,281 --> 00:19:19,408
This guy looks like he's 70 years old.
292
00:19:19,992 --> 00:19:25,247
Easily the most vital centenarian I've met
on any continent over the past 20 years.
293
00:19:29,418 --> 00:19:32,087
A scientist by the name of David Rehkopf,
from Stanford,
294
00:19:32,171 --> 00:19:36,466
measured the biological age
of Costa Ricans in Nicoya.
295
00:19:36,550 --> 00:19:39,720
{\an8}That was one
of the most fascinating findings to me
296
00:19:39,803 --> 00:19:41,638
{\an8}in our telomere work.
297
00:19:41,722 --> 00:19:44,099
And that was that people in Nicoya...
298
00:19:44,183 --> 00:19:47,853
[Dan] And he found
that, in this part of Costa Rica,
299
00:19:47,936 --> 00:19:52,858
Nicoyans actually have
a biological age about ten years younger
300
00:19:52,941 --> 00:19:55,277
than their chronological age
would suggest.
301
00:19:56,069 --> 00:20:00,532
So, what's going on here
that explains this young biological age?
302
00:20:02,284 --> 00:20:03,452
[Dan in Spanish] Hello!
303
00:20:03,535 --> 00:20:04,535
[man] Dan Buettner.
304
00:20:04,578 --> 00:20:06,288
[Dan] Pleasure.
305
00:20:06,371 --> 00:20:07,456
[speaking Spanish]
306
00:20:08,498 --> 00:20:11,168
- Sit down, friend.
- [Dan] Did you work today?
307
00:20:11,251 --> 00:20:12,252
Some.
308
00:20:12,336 --> 00:20:13,629
- [Dan] Did you?
- Yes.
309
00:20:13,712 --> 00:20:15,297
[Dan] What time did you get up?
310
00:20:15,380 --> 00:20:16,298
At 4:00.
311
00:20:16,381 --> 00:20:17,424
- [Dan] At 4:00?
- Yes.
312
00:20:17,507 --> 00:20:22,095
It's ten o'clock. You've already
been working for almost six hours.
313
00:20:22,679 --> 00:20:24,181
And why do you work so much?
314
00:20:24,264 --> 00:20:25,682
You don't have to work so hard.
315
00:20:25,766 --> 00:20:28,185
That's what they say, but I can't.
316
00:20:29,478 --> 00:20:31,563
Because that's my life.
317
00:20:33,607 --> 00:20:36,318
[Dan in English] Costa Ricans have
this very clear sense of purpose
318
00:20:36,401 --> 00:20:38,320
they call plan de vida.
319
00:20:39,154 --> 00:20:40,822
They know where they're heading in life.
320
00:20:40,906 --> 00:20:43,325
They know why they're waking up
in the morning.
321
00:20:43,408 --> 00:20:46,328
That's what propels them
through difficulties,
322
00:20:46,411 --> 00:20:47,788
keeps them doing the work.
323
00:20:47,871 --> 00:20:49,122
And for me,
324
00:20:49,206 --> 00:20:51,500
this was an aha moment.
325
00:20:51,583 --> 00:20:55,420
It's very similar to the ikigai
we saw in Okinawa.
326
00:20:56,046 --> 00:21:00,592
So now we've seen this same idea
in two different Blue Zones,
327
00:21:00,676 --> 00:21:04,179
{\an8}and that tells me this is important.
328
00:21:18,402 --> 00:21:21,363
Yes! [laughing]
329
00:21:21,446 --> 00:21:22,698
[man speaking Spanish]
330
00:21:23,407 --> 00:21:25,247
[Dan in English]
You see the way Nicoyans live,
331
00:21:25,284 --> 00:21:28,495
and you can't help but notice
they do everything by hand.
332
00:21:28,578 --> 00:21:30,664
They don't have
the mechanical conveniences
333
00:21:30,747 --> 00:21:32,916
to do their housework and their yard work.
334
00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:36,086
For instance, they use a machete
to cut their grass.
335
00:21:36,169 --> 00:21:39,047
And the activities
around keeping the house clean,
336
00:21:39,131 --> 00:21:40,465
gathering and preparing food,
337
00:21:40,549 --> 00:21:44,344
involve unconscious movement,
which, at the end of the day,
338
00:21:44,428 --> 00:21:49,349
amounts to more physical activity
than, quote, unquote, "exercise."
339
00:21:49,433 --> 00:21:50,559
[ethereal music playing]
340
00:21:50,642 --> 00:21:55,063
You watch a woman making tortillas.
The corn had to be ground by this crank.
341
00:21:55,981 --> 00:21:58,317
And, you know, they end up
with, like, Popeye arms
342
00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:01,820
trying to get that
to the right consistency. It's a workout.
343
00:22:01,903 --> 00:22:05,073
And it happened effortlessly,
too, 'cause they're so used to it.
344
00:22:05,157 --> 00:22:08,285
They didn't even realize
that they were burning calories.
345
00:22:11,121 --> 00:22:13,999
For most of human history,
we've had to work all the time,
346
00:22:14,082 --> 00:22:18,003
so it's only natural that we would come up
with conveniences and mechanical helpers
347
00:22:18,086 --> 00:22:19,921
to do a lot of our work.
348
00:22:23,884 --> 00:22:27,054
{\an8}But now we've engineered
most physical activity out of our life.
349
00:22:28,430 --> 00:22:31,600
But when you look at Costa Ricans,
they're still chopping wood,
350
00:22:31,683 --> 00:22:35,812
and they're still grinding corn by hand
and growing their own food.
351
00:22:37,022 --> 00:22:39,941
And it makes you wonder
if they're getting more exercise
352
00:22:40,025 --> 00:22:43,236
by doing everyday chores
than we are by going to the gym.
353
00:22:44,154 --> 00:22:47,532
These things might seem small,
but they add up over time,
354
00:22:47,616 --> 00:22:51,495
{\an8}and they could not only burn more calories
than, say, going to the gym,
355
00:22:51,578 --> 00:22:55,374
{\an8}but they may also
keep your metabolism burning higher.
356
00:22:56,083 --> 00:22:57,084
[man in Spanish] Come on!
357
00:22:57,167 --> 00:22:58,919
[Dan laughing]
358
00:23:02,756 --> 00:23:03,965
[man] This is dangerous.
359
00:23:04,049 --> 00:23:05,175
[Dan] Yes, I imagine.
360
00:23:05,258 --> 00:23:06,258
[man] Can't you see?
361
00:23:06,301 --> 00:23:08,053
[Dan] You still use an ax at 86?!
362
00:23:08,762 --> 00:23:13,517
I started with the ax
when I was 14 years old.
363
00:23:13,600 --> 00:23:15,769
[Dan] And what other work do you do?
364
00:23:15,852 --> 00:23:17,229
[man] I cut with a machete,
365
00:23:17,312 --> 00:23:19,606
and I fix fences.
366
00:23:20,273 --> 00:23:22,609
[Dan] And how many hours
do you work daily?
367
00:23:22,692 --> 00:23:26,488
I work from 6:00 to 10:00.
368
00:23:26,571 --> 00:23:30,617
Now, with my old age,
I think that you have to rest.
369
00:23:32,661 --> 00:23:34,847
[Dan in English] You think about
the way Americans work.
370
00:23:34,871 --> 00:23:36,998
We work 40, 50 hours a week.
371
00:23:37,499 --> 00:23:39,626
In Nicoya, they also work very hard,
372
00:23:39,709 --> 00:23:43,130
but it tends to be in an abbreviated time.
373
00:23:43,213 --> 00:23:45,674
So work very hard, usually in the morning,
374
00:23:45,757 --> 00:23:48,176
and then they sort of
take the afternoon off.
375
00:23:49,302 --> 00:23:52,514
[Dan in Spanish]
Do you have money in the bank?
376
00:23:52,597 --> 00:23:54,850
- No.
- [Dan] You don't have any?
377
00:23:54,933 --> 00:23:56,935
- You don't have any security?
- No, sir.
378
00:23:57,018 --> 00:23:57,936
[Dan speaking Spanish]
379
00:23:58,019 --> 00:24:00,063
You have to rely on your own...
380
00:24:00,147 --> 00:24:02,983
- That's right.
- [Dan] And if you get sick, what happens?
381
00:24:04,234 --> 00:24:07,821
[Juan] Let's say, when I have money,
382
00:24:07,904 --> 00:24:09,906
I like to go out and treat myself.
383
00:24:11,450 --> 00:24:14,202
- [man] To a long life!
- That's right!
384
00:24:14,286 --> 00:24:15,662
[both laughing]
385
00:24:16,288 --> 00:24:17,497
[Juan] I do not complain.
386
00:24:17,998 --> 00:24:21,042
I'm poor and ugly,
387
00:24:21,126 --> 00:24:24,337
but I have enjoyed
as much as one should enjoy.
388
00:24:24,421 --> 00:24:26,256
[Dan] You said poor and ugly?
389
00:24:27,090 --> 00:24:29,342
You are not ugly. You are macho.
390
00:24:29,426 --> 00:24:30,426
[both laughing]
391
00:24:30,469 --> 00:24:32,471
[Juan] How could I explain?
392
00:24:32,554 --> 00:24:35,724
It would have to be thanks to the Lord
393
00:24:35,807 --> 00:24:39,769
because I ask him that if,
at this age that I am, already 86,
394
00:24:39,853 --> 00:24:44,065
but I still move around alone,
I do my jobs...
395
00:24:44,149 --> 00:24:47,903
If he's going to give me more years,
let it always be like this.
396
00:24:49,362 --> 00:24:53,283
I ask him when I go to bed, when I get up,
397
00:24:53,909 --> 00:24:55,660
"Give me strength."
398
00:24:58,330 --> 00:25:00,999
[Dan in English] While I wasn't able
to measure their leisure time,
399
00:25:01,082 --> 00:25:03,126
in Nicoya, just like
all the other Blue Zones,
400
00:25:03,210 --> 00:25:06,588
people would never do
a couple extra hours of work
401
00:25:06,671 --> 00:25:08,882
when they could be enjoying their family
402
00:25:08,965 --> 00:25:12,552
or taking a siesta
or interacting with their friends.
403
00:25:13,345 --> 00:25:15,055
{\an8}So, in other words, they slow down
404
00:25:15,138 --> 00:25:17,849
{\an8}to make time
for things that really matter to them.
405
00:25:38,161 --> 00:25:39,361
[man in Spanish] Good morning.
406
00:25:39,829 --> 00:25:43,416
José Benerando, I'm here
for this year's visit.
407
00:25:43,500 --> 00:25:45,043
- How are you?
- Good.
408
00:25:45,126 --> 00:25:46,886
[Dan in English]
Here's a country that spends
409
00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:49,798
{\an8}about one-fifteenth
the amount we do on healthcare.
410
00:25:49,881 --> 00:25:52,968
{\an8}Yet they came up with this genius approach
411
00:25:53,051 --> 00:25:57,430
that actually helps people avoid diseases
before they're a big problem,
412
00:25:57,514 --> 00:26:01,726
something that we've completely missed
in most other countries around the world.
413
00:26:03,436 --> 00:26:07,023
Costa Rica has a longer life expectancy
than the United States does,
414
00:26:07,107 --> 00:26:09,150
{\an8}much lower rates of middle-aged mortality,
415
00:26:09,234 --> 00:26:12,737
{\an8}and they achieve that
spending about one-tenth per capita
416
00:26:12,821 --> 00:26:14,614
than we do in the United States.
417
00:26:14,698 --> 00:26:16,116
How do you achieve that?
418
00:26:16,825 --> 00:26:20,328
[in English] So it's reinforcing water.
419
00:26:20,412 --> 00:26:25,709
It's moving forward
with very strong nutrition programs,
420
00:26:25,792 --> 00:26:28,461
making sure, especially children,
421
00:26:28,545 --> 00:26:31,840
get the proteins that they need
to develop their brains
422
00:26:31,923 --> 00:26:34,718
during the first 12, 24 months
of their life.
423
00:26:34,801 --> 00:26:38,972
It is creating
a tremendous amount of new infrastructure
424
00:26:39,055 --> 00:26:41,308
in what we have called
los puestos de salud,
425
00:26:41,391 --> 00:26:42,809
small clinics.
426
00:26:42,892 --> 00:26:45,687
They begin to populate the geography
427
00:26:45,770 --> 00:26:50,483
with the idea
of bringing health to communities
428
00:26:50,567 --> 00:26:52,402
and to where people are living.
429
00:26:55,488 --> 00:26:58,867
{\an8}[Dan] Since the mid-'90s,
every man, woman, and child in Costa Rica
430
00:26:58,950 --> 00:27:00,785
{\an8}has had the right to a visit
431
00:27:00,869 --> 00:27:02,787
from a healthcare ambassador.
432
00:27:02,871 --> 00:27:06,583
Each team serves about 4,000 people,
433
00:27:06,666 --> 00:27:10,211
and they go door-to-door
over the course of the year.
434
00:27:10,295 --> 00:27:11,546
They know their names.
435
00:27:11,630 --> 00:27:13,048
{\an8}They're almost always invited in.
436
00:27:13,131 --> 00:27:16,843
{\an8}They sit down with 80, 90, 100-year-olds,
and they ask, "How are you doing?"
437
00:27:16,926 --> 00:27:20,138
[Wesly in Spanish] Does someone dress you?
Do they help you with your clothes?
438
00:27:20,221 --> 00:27:23,350
I put them on by myself and everything.
439
00:27:23,433 --> 00:27:26,436
I put on my clothes and underwear.
I wash myself.
440
00:27:26,519 --> 00:27:28,647
I do everything by myself.
441
00:27:28,730 --> 00:27:31,149
[Wesly] Mr. José Benerando,
what date is it today?
442
00:27:31,232 --> 00:27:33,443
Today is the 8th, right?
443
00:27:33,526 --> 00:27:36,946
[Wesly] Eighth of what month,
Mr. José Benerando? Eighth of what month?
444
00:27:37,030 --> 00:27:38,365
March?
445
00:27:38,448 --> 00:27:39,491
[Wesly] What year?
446
00:27:40,283 --> 00:27:45,205
Well, I'm not very sure of the year,
447
00:27:45,288 --> 00:27:48,625
but I do know it's March 8th.
448
00:27:49,626 --> 00:27:51,628
[José in English]
Public policy in Costa Rica
449
00:27:52,128 --> 00:27:53,672
has become a culture.
450
00:27:54,172 --> 00:27:56,174
It has become a way of life.
451
00:27:56,257 --> 00:27:58,593
It has become
something that we feel proud of.
452
00:27:59,761 --> 00:28:02,263
[Dan] In the United States,
we hope for health,
453
00:28:02,347 --> 00:28:05,183
but we really incent for sickness.
454
00:28:05,266 --> 00:28:09,938
All of the money
lies in waiting for you to get sick
455
00:28:10,021 --> 00:28:12,107
and then getting paid to heal you.
456
00:28:13,108 --> 00:28:17,779
And it's both
incredibly expensive and ineffective,
457
00:28:17,862 --> 00:28:21,574
but here's a country that spends
a fraction the amount we do on healthcare,
458
00:28:21,658 --> 00:28:23,952
and they're still getting better results.
459
00:28:26,121 --> 00:28:29,457
How is it that such a poor country
460
00:28:29,541 --> 00:28:32,919
is able to offer
such an efficient healthcare system?
461
00:28:34,045 --> 00:28:37,507
This just might be
contributing to Nicoya longevity.
462
00:28:45,473 --> 00:28:49,185
[woman in Spanish]
I started making rosquillos as a child.
463
00:28:49,269 --> 00:28:53,815
I used to go to a neighbor's house
to help her make rosquillos.
464
00:28:53,898 --> 00:28:55,817
[Dan] How old were you then?
465
00:28:55,900 --> 00:28:57,277
[woman] About ten, maybe.
466
00:28:57,360 --> 00:28:59,571
[Dan] How old is this grinding stone?
467
00:28:59,654 --> 00:29:03,283
[woman] Oh, no, that stone,
I can't tell you
468
00:29:03,366 --> 00:29:06,119
because my mother used to grind
on that stone.
469
00:29:06,202 --> 00:29:07,120
[in English] Wow.
470
00:29:07,203 --> 00:29:11,040
[woman in Spanish] Yes, my mother used
to grind with it, then she gave it to me.
471
00:29:11,124 --> 00:29:13,376
- [Dan] Yeah.
- [woman] She'd done a lot of grinding.
472
00:29:14,252 --> 00:29:16,212
- It has more than 100 years.
- [Dan] Yes.
473
00:29:18,339 --> 00:29:21,760
{\an8}[Zayda] Everything she learned to do,
she taught me, too,
474
00:29:21,843 --> 00:29:23,928
{\an8}so I do everything like that.
475
00:29:24,012 --> 00:29:27,599
And I have passed this on to my daughter.
476
00:29:27,682 --> 00:29:29,934
[whimsical music playing]
477
00:29:38,067 --> 00:29:39,527
[people chatting in Spanish]
478
00:29:48,411 --> 00:29:51,122
[in English] Without a doubt,
one of the reasons people in Nicoya
479
00:29:51,206 --> 00:29:56,753
are living a long time is
because they are eating this diet
480
00:29:56,836 --> 00:30:00,965
of beans, squash, and corn.
481
00:30:01,049 --> 00:30:04,177
They call it "the three sisters."
It's the Mesoamerica trifecta
482
00:30:04,260 --> 00:30:09,557
that's been consumed by people
in that region for at least 6,000 years.
483
00:30:12,352 --> 00:30:15,021
Corn, often prepared
in the form of tortillas,
484
00:30:15,104 --> 00:30:17,857
is a traditional staple of the diet.
485
00:30:18,608 --> 00:30:21,778
The kernels are an excellent source
of complex carbohydrates,
486
00:30:21,861 --> 00:30:24,823
rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
487
00:30:25,448 --> 00:30:29,494
Their traditional processing of corn
boosts the nutritional value,
488
00:30:29,577 --> 00:30:34,123
starting with the wood ash
that women add when they soak the corn.
489
00:30:34,207 --> 00:30:36,835
This breaks down
the cell walls of the kernels
490
00:30:36,918 --> 00:30:40,880
and releases niacin,
which helps control cholesterol.
491
00:30:42,173 --> 00:30:43,758
And black beans contain
492
00:30:43,842 --> 00:30:48,388
the same pigment-based antioxidants
found in blueberries.
493
00:30:48,471 --> 00:30:51,516
They're also rich in fiber,
which helps cleanse the colon.
494
00:30:52,433 --> 00:30:56,437
Squash is a good source
of vitamins A, B, and C
495
00:30:56,521 --> 00:31:00,316
and is rich in minerals,
such as potassium and magnesium.
496
00:31:03,778 --> 00:31:07,657
Now, we know from the Adventists
that a vegetarian diet is good for us,
497
00:31:07,740 --> 00:31:11,786
but most Americans' biggest concern
with skipping out on meat
498
00:31:11,870 --> 00:31:14,289
is that they won't get enough protein.
499
00:31:16,124 --> 00:31:19,502
Richer countries have become
fixated on the idea
500
00:31:19,586 --> 00:31:24,048
that we need protein from our meat
or dairy products to build muscle.
501
00:31:25,300 --> 00:31:28,219
So, how are the Nicoyans
out there splitting logs
502
00:31:28,303 --> 00:31:30,847
and herding cattle
every day of their lives?
503
00:31:32,307 --> 00:31:38,313
Well, the real magic comes from pairing
beans, squash, and corn together.
504
00:31:39,814 --> 00:31:41,816
Our bodies need nine amino acids,
505
00:31:41,900 --> 00:31:44,777
the building blocks of protein,
to make muscle,
506
00:31:44,861 --> 00:31:48,781
and animal products such as meat,
fish, and eggs provide all nine.
507
00:31:48,865 --> 00:31:52,118
But they also contain
cholesterol and saturated fat.
508
00:31:52,201 --> 00:31:54,454
Together, this three sisters diet
509
00:31:54,537 --> 00:31:59,250
provides all the amino acids
without cholesterol and saturated fat.
510
00:32:00,293 --> 00:32:03,963
So they're spending a fraction
of what we do on meat and dairy,
511
00:32:04,047 --> 00:32:06,257
and they're getting
all the protein they need,
512
00:32:06,341 --> 00:32:07,550
which just goes to show
513
00:32:07,634 --> 00:32:10,595
that you do not have to be wealthy
to eat healthy.
514
00:32:17,936 --> 00:32:19,520
[woman in Spanish] Let's eat, Isaac.
515
00:32:19,604 --> 00:32:23,232
[in Spanish] If you were to tell Isaac
516
00:32:23,316 --> 00:32:25,610
how to get to 100 years old,
517
00:32:25,693 --> 00:32:27,946
what advice would you give him?
518
00:32:28,029 --> 00:32:30,365
[in Spanish] I hope
that he eats what I eat.
519
00:32:30,448 --> 00:32:32,450
Do you think your son
520
00:32:32,533 --> 00:32:35,411
will eat the same diet
as your grandfather?
521
00:32:35,495 --> 00:32:39,040
[woman] I don't think so
because everything is different now.
522
00:32:39,123 --> 00:32:40,708
Lots of processed food.
523
00:32:40,792 --> 00:32:44,253
[Dan] With beans and rice,
he has reached 100 years.
524
00:32:44,337 --> 00:32:45,797
Wouldn't it be better?
525
00:32:45,880 --> 00:32:49,592
[woman] Well, yes, but kids aren't
interested in rice and beans.
526
00:32:49,676 --> 00:32:52,845
They are into things like cereal
527
00:32:52,929 --> 00:32:59,310
that aren't as nutritious
as rice and beans.
528
00:32:59,394 --> 00:33:01,062
You want some, Grandpa?
529
00:33:01,771 --> 00:33:03,064
Do you want some?
530
00:33:03,147 --> 00:33:04,899
- [woman] If you want.
- [Ramiro] One.
531
00:33:08,027 --> 00:33:09,779
Just to try it. Thank you.
532
00:33:09,862 --> 00:33:14,367
He doesn't want rice and beans or eggs.
He wants cookies.
533
00:33:18,955 --> 00:33:22,166
[Dan in English] It breaks my heart
to see how Nicoya is changing.
534
00:33:22,250 --> 00:33:24,711
You drive into town,
and the first thing you see
535
00:33:24,794 --> 00:33:26,170
are fast food restaurants.
536
00:33:26,254 --> 00:33:28,589
The vendors are selling chips
537
00:33:28,673 --> 00:33:31,134
and sodas and candy bars.
538
00:33:32,051 --> 00:33:34,721
And this is replacing
this genius way of life,
539
00:33:34,804 --> 00:33:39,017
this diet that has produced
the manifestly longest-lived people,
540
00:33:39,100 --> 00:33:42,520
and now it's going the way
of modern societies everywhere.
541
00:33:44,355 --> 00:33:49,360
Since I found this Blue Zone, it has
shrunk to one-fifth its original size,
542
00:33:49,444 --> 00:33:51,195
and by some estimations,
543
00:33:51,279 --> 00:33:55,116
the Blue Zone could completely be gone
within a generation.
544
00:33:56,409 --> 00:33:58,536
And in Okinawa, it's even worse.
545
00:33:58,619 --> 00:34:01,080
When I first traveled there in 1999,
546
00:34:01,164 --> 00:34:02,707
it was known for producing
547
00:34:02,790 --> 00:34:06,711
the longest-lived, healthiest people
in the history of humankind.
548
00:34:07,837 --> 00:34:11,424
But today, the longevity phenomena
has almost completely disappeared.
549
00:34:11,507 --> 00:34:15,511
In fact, Okinawa now has
the highest rate of obesity
550
00:34:15,595 --> 00:34:17,847
of any other area in Japan.
551
00:34:18,806 --> 00:34:20,933
[orchestral music playing]
552
00:34:21,017 --> 00:34:24,312
[Dan] But the good news
is that we've captured the wisdom.
553
00:34:25,313 --> 00:34:29,901
We have the blueprint
to reproduce longevity in our lives.
554
00:34:32,528 --> 00:34:34,906
And I became obsessed with that notion.
555
00:34:35,573 --> 00:34:37,075
I got to wondering,
556
00:34:38,367 --> 00:34:41,996
could I actually create a new Blue Zone?
557
00:34:46,501 --> 00:34:48,461
[acoustic string music playing]