Greek island with almost no madness – the two drinks they love

You have heard for sure about the so -called Blue areas “” five areas in the world that the life expectancy of Dan Buettner identified that they had routinely living residents to be over 100.

They are Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rika; Loma Linda, California and Ikaria, Greece.

Speaking to Sarah Ann Macklin at Podcast Live Well Be Well, Buettner recently revealed that Ikaria Idyllic Greek is proud of more than just some of the world’s longest residents.

“[People from] Ikaria, Greece, live about eight years longer [than US citizens, on average]Mostly without dementia, no visible madness, ”he said.

About 6.7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s dementia today, and this number can increase to 13.8 million by 2060, according to NiH.

Meanwhile, in Ikaria, Buettner claimed they would have any person over 65, [and] There were only three very soft cases of madness. “

Mediterranean, amplified diet

So what is their secret? In the blog of blue areas, Buetttner wrote that â € œarians eat the most strict version of the world’s Mediterranean diet, â € relying heavily on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, legumes, olive oil and moderate amounts of wine red.

“But the Ikarian diet varies in what they eat much less fish and meat and much more greens,” he wrote.

“They regularly eat a hundred or such wild greens of Fortad and garden greens such as mustard, chicory, dill and greens we weeds in the states.

Tea spill

But he also noted that the Ikarians are big fans of two drinks that can help them stay sharp in old age: herbal tea and coffee.

â € tikarians are drinking herbal teas every day, “He wrote.” They make these teas with herbs around their homes, from their gardens, and wild. They are making herbs like oregano, dandelion, sage and rosemary.â €

A 2023 study found that drinking tea (green or black) was associated with a 29% reduction in the risk of madness of all causes.

And the popular herbal tea of ​​South Africa Rooibos seemed to reduce the effects of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a 2024 study.

In his blog, Buettner pointed out that the teas that Ikarians drink can be effective because they not only have anti-inflammatory properties, but they also function as mild diuretics.

â € œDiurertics are the first line of pharmaceuticals with which the doctor diagnoses if you have high blood pressure, ”he wrote.

â € œDiureretics keep your blood pressure low, help your kidneys get rid of sodium and help keep your arteries clean and wide, so it’s easier for blood to flow.

A 2013 study found that the use of diuretics was associated with a reduced risk of advertising madness by at least 50%.

Coffee, coffee, coffee

In Podcast, Buettner also stressed that Ikarians drink “large amounts of coffee.”

A 2010 study examined participants for an average of 21 years and found that consuming 3 to 5 cups of coffee daily during medium life was associated with a reduction in the risk of 65% of Alzheimer’s madness and disease in life later.

And people who drank a combination of 2 to 3 cups of coffee and 2 to 3 cups of tea daily in a 2021 study had a 30% lower risk of stroke and madness compared to those who did not consume .

Copy the Greeks

In addition to drinking coffee and tea, Buettner noted that some of the things that keep the Ikarians bloom well in old old age include many social contacts and natural forms of exercise.

“Theikarians are much less likely to suffer loneliness and depression than Americans,” he wrote. “Printed people have 50 percent more likely to suffer from dementia.â €

And since Ikaria is a mountain village, even a trip to the grocery store involves a small uphill exercise.

â € œSO throughout the day, residents are taking on regular, low-intensity physical activity, ”he wrote. “They will not do what we are wrong in America, where we think we can sit in the office and in front of the TV all day and then do it with 30 minutes in the gym.