You’ve probably heard of the so-called “blue zones” — five areas in the world that longevity expert Dan Buettner identified as having residents who routinely live to be over 100.
They are Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Loma Linda, California and Ikaria, Greece.
Speaking with Sarah Ann Macklin on the Live Well Be Well podcast, Buettner recently revealed that the idyllic Greek island Ikaria boasts more than just some of the world’s longest-living inhabitants — it also has impressively low rates of dementia.
“[People from] Ikaria, Greece live about eight years longer [than US citizens, on average], largely without dementia, no discernible dementia,” he said.
An estimated 6.7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s dementia today, and this number could grow to 13.8 million by 2060, according to the NIH.
Meanwhile, in Ikaria, Buettner claimed they “found every person aged over 65, [and] there were only three very mild cases of dementia.”
Mediterranean diet, amplified
So, what’s their secret? On the Blue Zones blog, Buettner wrote that “Ikarians eat the strictest version of the Mediterranean diet in the world,” leaning heavily on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, legumes, olive oil and moderate amounts of red wine.
“But the Ikarian diet varies in that they eat a lot less fish and meat and a lot more greens,” he wrote.
“They regularly eat a hundred or so foraged wild greens and garden greens like mustard, chicory, fennel, and greens that we weed-whack in the States. These wild greens have ten times the artery scrubbing antioxidants that red wine does.”
Spilling the tea
But he also noted that Ikarians are huge fans of two drinks that may help them stay sharp well into old age: herbal tea and coffee.
“Ikarians are drinking herbal teas every day,” he wrote. “They make these teas with plants from around their houses, from their gardens, and from the wild. They are making them with herbs like oregano, dandelion, sage, and rosemary.”
A 2023 study found that drinking tea (green or black) was associated with a 29% reduction in the risk of all-cause dementia.
And the popular South African herbal tea rooibos seemed to lessen the effects of symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a 2024 study.
On his blog, Buettner noted that the teas that the Ikarians drink might be effective because they not only have anti-inflammatory properties, they also function as mild diuretics.
“Diuretics are the first line of pharmaceuticals the doctor diagnoses you with if you have high blood pressure,” he wrote.
“Diuretics 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 through.”
A 2013 study found that using diuretics was associated with a reduced risk of AD dementia by at least 50%.
Coffee, coffee, coffee
On the podcast, Buettner also highlighted that Ikarians drink “copious amounts of coffee.”
A 2010 study examined participants over an average of 21 years and found that consuming 3 to 5 cups of coffee daily during midlife was associated with a 65% decreased risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in later life.
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 dementia compared to those who did not consume either.
Copy the Greeks
Aside from drinking coffee and tea, Buettner noted that some of the things that keep Ikarians thriving well into old age include plenty of social contact and natural forms of exercise.
“Ikarians are much less likely to suffer loneliness and depression than Americans,” he wrote. “Depressed people are 50 percent more likely to suffer from dementia.”
And since Ikaria is a mountainous village, even a trip to the grocery store involves a little uphill workout.
“So throughout the day, residents are getting regular, low-intensity physical activity,” he wrote. “They’re not doing what we are getting wrong in America, where we think that we can sit in the office and in front of the TV all day and then make up for it with 30 minutes in the gym.”
