Could the beautiful sea and sky in Okinawa be contributing to its ageing population? Picture: Thinkstock Source: Supplied
THEY are the five places across the world where residents live longer and are on average healthier than the rest of us.
And when they do die, it's often quickly. So what's their secret?
They live in what is called the blue zones, five special areas of the world were grey power is alive and flourishing.
The 'blue zones' which include the islands of Ikaria, Greece; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy and the Californian city of Loma Linda are literally redefining the term staying alive.
In 2004, Dan Buettner from the National Geographic identified pockets of what was termed 'Blue Zones' where people were not only living longer but flourishing.
It was after hearing a statistic from the World Health Organisation that people in Okinawa, Japan, enjoyed the longest disability-free life expectancy in the world which sparked his interest to see if there were any other places like it around the world.
Good diet, exercise and other lifestyle factors were found to play a major part.
He also wanted to know why they were living longer.
With a team of doctors and demographers, Buettner soon discovered a pocket of centenarian men on the Italian island of Sardinia, along with a large amount of 90-year-olds in the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica.
Resident of the picture perfect island of Sardinia also enjoy the good life. Source: Supplied
But it didn't end there, he also found another zone in a small southern California city called Loma Linda.
The Greek Island called Ikaria also has a healthy ageing population, with many residents far outliving the national average and having Alzheimer's and dementia rates at a rate one-fifth of America's according to CNN.
Buettner, told the broadcaster life expectancy in America was around 79 years, yet he estimated most people should live to around 92.
"We should be able to live to 92. Somewhere along the line, we're leaving 13 years on the table," he said.
"So my quest is — how do we get those extra 13 years? And how do we make those extra 13 years, good years?"
When it comes to living longer, the Japanese do seem to be doing something right.
However, latest figures reveal Okinawa women who were born in 2010 can expect to live to be 87.02 years old.
The remote Greek island of Ikaria has a large ageing population. Source: News Limited
However, according to Japan Update, that puts Okinawa women on the third place in the nation after Nagano pipped the top spot with an expected lifespan of 87.18 years old.
For the first time since statistics were published, there was an increase in deaths by diseases associated with adult lifestyle habits, especially among 20 to 64-year-olds.
Either way, Australia could learn a lesson or two from residents in these blue zones.
An Australian born today can expect to live until an average age of 82, six years more than three decades ago, and in the past 40 years we have added a decade to our life expectancy.
However, McCrindle research founder Mark McCrindle warned that while our life expectancy looks great, the quality of our life might not be so rosy as most of us will be forced to work longer to support our ageing population.
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