3 replies to this topic

[ktrent]

I have just recently been reading about a region in northern Pakistan called the Hunza Valley, where people there supposedly live to well over 100. Is this really the case, or is it just a select few that do? Is it the water or something else causing it?

[niner]

There are several areas in the world where people seem to have unusual longevity. Google "blue zones" to read all about it. It mostly comes down to diet, exercise, lifestyle, and in some cases (e.g. Sardinia), genetics.

[1kgcoffee]

Lots of hype surrounding the Hunzas. They had long life expectency - not close to 100 - and a significantly large number of centenarians. That's changing now with the introduction of western civilization. Nothing special, besides what niner has pointed out. They appear to follow a simple low protein diet with no processed foods, have tightly knit community and lots of exercise. John Robbins wrote about them in 'healthy at 100', if you want to learn more.

[xEva]

This Hunza story is an old fable that has hardly any basis in reality. The original was published in a popular journal and has since been perpetuated in print and now online. The "data" were based on unsubstantiated reports of age by illiterate people who wanted to please the interviewers about their age. Most looked older than they actually were, due to harsh living conditions. For the later born population, for whom well-kept birth records existed, there was no association with unusual longevity.

In short, Hunza is a fable. We need to stop spreading it.



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Edited by xEva, 10 October 2012 - 01:48 AM.