A researcher studying 100-year-olds has revealed the two foods that can add years to your life.
Dan Buettner has spent decades analyzing the diets of the world’s longest-lived people living in the legendary ‘Blue Zones’ to reveal their secrets.
His work has shown that two items available at the grocery store, costing as little as a dollar each, are staples of the diet of centenarians: black beans and walnuts.
He recommended eating a can of black beans every day to extend lifespan, while for walnuts, a handful a day could help.
Dan Buettner has spent decades analyzing the world’s longest-living people for their nutritional secrets. He has revealed the two adjustments that can add years to your life
Both can easily be purchased at a supermarket for amounts that won’t break the bank
When he unveiled the list at the Milken Institute’s Global Conference in Los Angeles, he said, “I have two revolutionary supplements that I can tell you all about.”
The audience immediately chuckled, reports Business insiderprobably realizing that he was about to tell them about foods that weren’t supplements at all.
Both beans and walnuts are high in fiber, which can reduce inflammation in the intestines, reducing the risk of deadly diseases such as cancer.
They are also high in protein, which can reduce appetite and reduce the risk of someone overeating – which can lead to obesity, which is already linked to a host of life-shortening conditions, including heart disease and diabetes.
For walnuts, these are an important source of linoleic acid and omega-3 fatty acids, which are also linked to a lower risk of heart disease and a longer lifespan. Other nuts do not contain these nutrients in such large amounts.
Revealing the list, the expert added that eating nuts or beans regularly was good for one’s health. He said before: ‘But ultimately, when it comes to longevity, there is no short-term solution.
“You have to think about things you’re going to do over the next few years or decades … to build the deck in favor of living to 100 years.”
In favor of beans he pointed out a Study from 2004 That surveyed hundreds of older bean fans living in Blue Zones in Japan, Sweden and Greece.
Overall, it found that people who ate more beans lived longer – with a seven percent reduction in mortality risk for every 0.7 oz of beans consumed.
And a 2016 review showed that eating a cup of beans a day led to weight loss – linked to a lower risk of many life-shortening conditions such as heart disease.
Buettner’s own research in Blue Zones has also found that people in these areas consistently eat about a cup of beans per day – suggesting a link with longevity.
In Sardinia, where locals routinely live to be 100 years old, people routinely enjoy a cup of chickpeas or fava beans daily, while in Nicoya, Costa Rica, where people often live to be 90 years old, the diet focuses on black beans.
For walnuts, Buettner referred to his own work on lifespan zones.
His team found that Seventh-day Adventists in Loma Linda, California – who live 10 years longer than the average American – eat walnuts five times a week.
Their work is also supported by research, including a study published in 2021 which showed that those who consumed walnuts more than five times a week lived on average about 1.3 years longer than those who did not.
And a separate one paper from 2022 found that those who ate walnuts at a young age were more likely to be physically active and have healthier hearts than those who did not – which can also provide life-extending benefits.
It comes after scientists revealed in a new study that they had discovered the secret of living to 100 years.
The researchers discovered that people who ran a kilometer in less than four minutes lived five years longer than their peers.
But they say this time is highly unique as only a few thousand people in the world have ever recorded running that fast.
“The great thing about exercise is that it is stress, but it’s a stress that our bodies are really designed to deal with, adapt to and get stronger,” the researchers said.