“the existence of a public health care system that gives people adequate health care, regardless of lack of means”
People have access free healthcare regardless of job etc. That is going to make a huge difference in preventative care for everyone.
I am very curious why Hong Kong wasn’t recognized in the original Blue Zones study. Is their longevity something recent? I have seen a number of Dan Buettner’s presentations on the subject, and he always stresses how strict their standards were to recognize a region–they would track down and verify birth certificates, for instance, to ensure people were as old as they claimed to be. I am really curious because Hong Kong seems to be the exact opposite in two of the key factors found in the Blue Zones: the diet in the Blue Zones is very heavily plant-based, and the people are very physically active.
I wonder if general well-being / mental health also plays a role.
If people there have good family structures and a hopeful (not nihilistic attitude) then that might be beneficial too. Not sure how you would research that though.
>Total Meat Intake is Associated with Life Expectancy: A Cross-Sectional Data Analysis of 175 Contemporary Populations
>…
>Worldwide, bivariate correlation analyses revealed that meat intake is positively correlated with life expectancies. This relationship remained significant when influences of caloric intake, urbanization, obesity, education and carbohydrate crops were statistically controlled.
Mic the vegan addresses this very topic in a video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgwshhRsJPE
from about a year ago. He presents some very good points about comparing a city-state to whole countries. If you allow this then Monaco beats HK with lifespans of 89 years and they have a more Mediterranean based diet. Also, how much meat they actually eat could be different from the reported figures.
I’ve read different research into meat consumption and what the meat your eating is eating before you get it. They might have higher quality meat which apparently matters quite a bit to overrall health. Can’t confirm for sure but might be good to look into
It is a common practice to push elderly into nursing home or hospital when they are unable to take care of themselves. Then their lives hang on mostly by feeding tubes and medicines. You can easily find old people age over 100 in nursing homes, immobilised and waiting their carer to change their diapers and turn their back. This is how we have such high life expectancy.
Pretty simple, because high quality meat is healthy. It’s way better than the processed garbage that other countries eat in replacement of meat. High quality protein, essential fatty acids, bioavailable vitamins and minerals, all in a tasty and filling food.
A couple of things:
Red meat intake significantly increased from 20 years ago so you would not see the health effects this early. Also, saturated fat is kept below 10% so you wouldn’t see the CVD from diet.