Can Lessons From Blue Zones Help People With Mesothelioma?
Health & Wellness
Written by Tejal Parekh, RDN, LDN | Edited By Amy Edel
Maintaining and enhancing full-body health and general well-being is critical for people with mesothelioma. Looking to people living in Blue Zones who live longer and enjoy better health can inspire ways to help people with this aggressive cancer improve their quality of life.
Blue Zones are areas of the world where people not only live longer, but also live healthier lives. These areas include: Okinawa, Japan; Ikaria, Greece; Sardinia, Italy; and Nicoya, Costa Rica. Each of these very different areas and cultures have similar themes that contribute to their longevity and quality of life.
While we may not live in a Blue Zone, people with mesothelioma can take inspiration from their approach to healthy living. Adapting these Blue Zones’ common themes to suit our own needs can help us take steps to improve our own quality of life through mesothelioma treatment.
What Are Common Themes Among Blue Zones?
Researchers identified 9 factors – the power 9 – that contribute to these populations living longer than those in other parts of the world. These include approaches to nutrition, exercise and mental health.
The Power 9
- Move naturally: Without modern conveniences that can also be obstacles limiting activity, people in Blue Zones walk around town, often up and down hills. They garden and they don’t have many mechanical devices in the home that we might have.
- Purpose: Having a sense of purpose added an extra 7 years of life expectancy.
- Downshift: Everyone experiences stress, including those in Blue Zones. It’s how we manage our stress that makes a difference. Stress management techniques varied from zone to zone but included prayer, remembering ancestors, napping and happy hour.
- 80% Rule: The Okinawans have a saying “Hara hachi Bu” to remind them to stop eating when their stomachs are 80% full. People in Blue Zones eat their smallest meal in the late afternoon or early evening and then they don’t eat anything else.
- Plant Slant: People in Blue Zones eat a mostly plant-based diet. Beans including fava, black, soy and lentils are all important components to the diets of people who live 100 years or more. Small portions of meat are eaten only 5 or 6 times a month.
- Wine at 5: With the exception of adventists, people in Blue Zones drink 1-2 glasses of wine per day. They often drink with friends, family and food. (You can’t bank the drinks during the week and then drink more on the weekend.)
- Belong: All but 5 of the 263 centenarians interviewed belonged to a faith-based community. Attending a faith-based service at least 4 times a month added 4-14 years of life expectancy.
- Loved ones first: People in Blue Zones are very family oriented. Parents and grandparents either live together or nearby and they invest time and love in their children.
- Right tribe: Research shows social networks are an important factor in our health and longevity. The longest living people chose, or were born into, social circles that supported healthy behaviors.
Research shows diet and nutrition can help boost the immune system of people with mesothelioma. Light to moderate exercise can help manage mesothelioma symptoms and treatment side effects. Studies have also shown that maintaining good mental health habits can improve outcomes for cancer patients.
How Can Blue Zone Themes Benefit People With Mesothelioma?
While people with mesothelioma can sometimes have concerns about being around too many people when immunocompromised, it’s still important to socialize. From a social standpoint, we can surround ourselves with loved ones whether they be friends or family when we’re up for it. If we can’t physically be close, our loved ones are often a phone or video call away.
Walking to our destination isn’t always an option, but when we have the opportunity to move we need to take it. Build movement into your day with gardening, walking, taking stairs or even parking a little further away.
From a nutrition standpoint, aim to include plant-based foods into your daily diet. These can include fruits and vegetables but should also include beans and lentils. Limiting processed foods can be a challenge, but should be a goal as should limiting meat.
The research concluded that 1-2 glasses of wine daily improved life expectancy. However, conflicting research suggests alcohol should be limited as much as possible especially for those with cancer risk. Speak to your mesothelioma doctor.
