Blue Zones and polyphenols: the distinctive factor of longevity
Okinawa (Japan), Nicoya (Costa Rica), Loma Linda (California), and two areas in the Mediterranean, namely Ikaria (Greece) and Ogliastra in Sardinia, are the so-called Blue Zones, 5 geographical areas where life expectancy in good health is significantly higher than the world average. From the study by researchers Giovanni Pes and Michel Poulain on Sardinian centenarians to the research by Dan Buettner, a journalist and member of National Geographic, who had already investigated the same phenomenon in Japan in the early 2000s, to the most recent studies, for over 20 years, scientists around the world have been studying the Blue Zones (an expression that comes from the habit of using blue circles on maps around the areas of the planet where centenarian populations live), trying to identify the factors that allow a healthier and longer ageing. Recent studies have sought to highlight the relationship between a diet rich in polyphenols, which is common to the five Blue Zones, and the reduction in the risk of age-related diseases.
The role of lifestyle and diet
Common to all these areas is undoubtedly a lifestyle that includes a predominantly vegetarian diet (with high consumption of legumes), regular physical activity, but also downshift to avoid stress, a positive mental attitude, spirituality, and strong social and family ties. In the case of Sardinian centenarians, mainly men, despite their consumption of animal fats (such as dairy products, often fermented, from sheep's or goat's milk), their extraordinary longevity has been linked to the habit of these shepherds, who live in very remote mountainous areas, of walking at least 5 miles a day. However, one element that all these areas have in common is that the diets of the Blue Zones are all intrinsically rich in polyphenols. Even the controversial relationship between moderate wine consumption and longevity could be explained by the high level of polyphenols in some red wines; for example, Cannonau, a red wine commonly consumed in the Sardinian Blue Zone, contains high levels of flavanols and anthocyanins, molecules that can lower cardiovascular risk, cognitive decline, and other age-related diseases. Another habit observed among Sardinian centenarians is drinking coffee, a beverage rich in phenolic compounds, especially chlorogenic acid. On the other hand, legumes, vegetables, seaweed, and fruit, typical of the diets of other Blue Zones, ensure a constant intake of flavonoids and isoflavones.
Polyphenols: natural guardians of health
We have already seen how epidemiological studies and related meta-analyses suggest that polyphenols are natural guardians of health. Despite the extensive debate on their bioavailability and actual effectiveness, numerous scientific studies have demonstrated the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiparasitic properties of polyphenols, which enable them to neutralize free radicals, protecting cells from oxidative damage and thus helping to reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.
The secret to longevity
Recent scientific research has focused on the connection between Blue Zones and polyphenols. A 2025 review entitled ‘Dietary polyphenols as geroprotective compounds: From Blue Zones to hallmarks of ageing’ analyzed the extensive literature on the subject, investigating the geroprotective activity of polyphenols, i.e., their ability to improve the biological mechanisms that enhance healthspan.
The review - ‘Impact of Polyphenolic-Food on Longevity: An Elixir of Life. An Overview’ - analyzed the role of polyphenols in delaying the ageing process and preventing age-related diseases, finding that polyphenols act at a molecular level to combat oxidative stress and inflammation, two key processes in senescence, and exploring the cellular mechanisms by which polyphenols influence cell health, such as reducing DNA damage and improving metabolic functions.
Finally, another recent study, Blue Zone Dietary Patterns, Telomere Length Maintenance, and Longevity: A Critical Review, adds fascinating information and perspectives on the action of polyphenols on telomeres, the protective caps at the ends of our chromosomes, which shorten progressively with each cell division. This phenomenon is considered one of the main biomarkers of cellular ageing. The Blue Zone diets, rich in polyphenols from fruit, vegetables, and legumes, with antioxidant action, help to maintain telomere length, thereby delaying cellular ageing and promoting longevity.
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