This Italian village of centenarians holds the secret to a long life
The secret to a long life may just lie in a small Italian village known for its fishing, olive groves and rolling hills.
Scientist have spent the last six months researching why this one Italian village on the banks of the Mediterranean boast so many centenarians. In fact, in the village of Acciaroli celebrating a milestone 100th birthday is commonplace with one in 10 of the 700 residents expected to live to reach 100 years of age.
So what did the team from Rome’s Sapienza University and the San Diego School of Medicine discover? The key to longevity is simple – a healthy Mediterranean diet with plenty of rosemary for good measure.
The study found that elderly people in the village have unusually good blood circulation, which helps to feed nutrients to the body and efficiently take away waste products through the capillaries. Analysing the blood samples from more than 80 elderly people, the scientist also discovered that villagers had remarkably low levels of a hormone called adrenomedullin, more commonly seen in people aged in their 20s or 30s.
Although scientists have pinpointed the exact reasons, they believe a combination of a healthy diet based on vegetables, herbs and fish, combined with lots of exercise and genetic factors has developed over centuries.
The elderly people in the region exercise on a regular basis, and eat plenty of olive oil, locally-caught fish and home-reared rabbits and chickens. They also add lots of local herbs to meals, particularly rosemary, which is believed to help keep the brain functioning.
Quite amazingly, the residents of Acciaroli not only live long lifes, but they seem immune from age-related diseases such as dementia, heart disease and other chronic conditions.
It was in the Cilento peninsula that the American scientist Ancel Keys first identified the health benefits of what came to be known as the Mediterranean Diet, based on a diet of olive oil, fresh fruit and vegetables and fish.
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