Secrets from Nicoya, Costa Rica

In March 2007, Blue Zones harnessed the wisdom of the crowd to determine a secret to longevity. For more than two weeks, our online collaborators helped direct a team of scientists as they try to explain why people in Nicoya, Costa Rica are—by at least one measure—the longest-lived, healthiest people on the planet. The following combines the efforts of our scientific team coupled with the wisdom of thousands of people around the world to offer the eight most compelling explanations for Nicoya’s longevity:

• Water—Nicoya’s water has Costa Rica’s highest calcium content. Primarily, calcium strengthens bones and prevents falls from being serious.

• Family -- Centenarians tend to live as a couple, with children or grandchildren from whom they get support.

• Faith -- All but one centenarian we interviewed in Nicoya had a strong belief in God. They relinquished the pressures of the day to a higher power. Their faith provides relief from stress and a connection with their community.

• Fruit -- People eat many wildly exotic fruits ultra rich in antioxidants, including papaya and citrus which they ate all year long.

• Nixtamal – Nicoya’s core diet, corn soaked in lye with beans, dates back 3,500 years and creates a compound called nixtamal. It's a complete food high in niacin, calcium and amino acids.

• Lifelong Work – Centenarians seem to have enjoyed physical work all of their lives. It was their main form of exercise and they did it almost every day.

• Plan de Vida – Successful centenarians have a passion for living and a clear purpose. They feel needed and want to contribute to a greater good beyond just themselves.

• Happiness – Costa Rica scores near the top of international well-being surveys. Happy people have higher levels of endorphins and stronger immune systems. They’re interesting, interested in others and keep learning throughout their life.