Researcher, Saul Justin Newman, was given an Ig Nobel Prize on Sept. 12 for his work on debunking “blue zones.” He found the phenomenon is actually based on fraudulent birth certificates, bad data and unscientific measurements.
The concept of blue zones had given people the idea that to live a healthier life, they must eat and exercise like the people in towns with unusual amounts of people who live to be 100.
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Some of the blue zone towns include Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy and Ikara, Greece.
Dan Buettner, a National Geographic fellow collaborated with Nat Geo and the National Institute on Aging to identify those areas in 2004. He also did a documentary with Netflix called “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones.”
Over the last decade, Newman tracked down 80% of the world’s supercentenarians, which are people aged 110 and older. He found that almost none have a birth certificate and some have multiple recorded birth dates.
Newman also discovered that pension fraud is extremely common in the blue zone areas. He cited that most of the supercentenarians who have turned out to be alive in government records are actually dead.
Newman realized through his research that most of the dietary and lifestyle claims behind the blue zone regions are not supported by independent data. For example, vegetables are promoted as a key component of blue zone diets in Okinawa, but according to the Japanese government, Okinawans eat the least vegetables and have the body mass index in Japan.
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The Ig Nobel Prize Newman was given is a satirical award that honors unusual scientific research as is meant to make people laugh, then think.
“Improbable Research” magazine has been handing out the prize every year since 1991.
[KARAH RUCKER]
A RESEARCHER’S WORK ON DEBUNKING SO-CALLED “BLUE ZONES” IS GETTING A LOT OF ATTENTION.
THE CONCEPT OF “BLUE ZONES” … HAS GIVEN PEOPLE THE IDEA THAT TO LIVE A HEALTHIER LIFE, THEY MUST EAT AND EXERCISE LIKE THE PEOPLE IN TOWNS WITH UNUSUAL AMOUNTS OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE TO BE 100.
DOCTOR SAUL JUSTIN NEWMAN … WAS RECENTLY GIVEN AN “IGG” NOBEL PRIZE FOR DISCOVERING THE “BLUE ZONE” PHENOMENON IS ACTUALLY BASED ON FRAUDULENT BIRTH CERTIFICATES, BAD DATA AND UNSCIENTIFIC MEASUREMENTS.
SOME OF THOSE SO-CALLED “BLUE-ZONE” TOWNS INCLUDE OKINAWA, JAPAN … SARDINIA, ITALY AND IKARA, GREECE.
DAN BUETTNER, A NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC FELLOW … COLLABORATED WITH NAT-GEO AND THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING TO IDENTIFY THESE AREAS IN 2004.
HE DID A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT IT WITH NETFLIX … CALLED “LIVE TO 100”.
OVER THE LAST DECADE DOCTOR NEWMAN TRACKED DOWN 80 PERCENT OF THE WORLD’S “SUPER-CENTENARIANS” … WHICH ARE PEOPLE 110 OR OLDER … AND FOUND THAT ALMOST NONE HAVE A BIRTH CERTIFICATE AND SOME HAVE MULTIPLE RECORDED BIRTH DATES!
HE ALSO DISCOVERED THAT PENSION FRAUD IS EXTREMELY COMMON IN THE “BLUE ZONE” AREAS … AND MOST OF THE “SUPER-CENTENARIANS” WHO HAVE TURNED OUT TO BE ALIVE IN GOVERNMENT RECORDS ARE ACTUALLY DEAD!
DOCTOR NEWMAN REALIZED THROUGH HIS RESEARCH THAT MOST OF THE DIETARY AND LIFESTYLE CLAIMS BEHIND THE “BLUE ZONE” REGIONS ARE NOT SUPPORTED BY ANY INDEPENDENT DATA. FOR EXAMPLE, VEGETABLES ARE PROMOTED AS A KEY COMPONENT OF “BLUE ZONE” DIETS IN OKINAWA … BUT ACCORDING TO THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT OKINAWANS EAT THE LEAST VEGETABLES AND HAVE THE HIGHEST BODY MASS INDEX IN JAPAN.
ALL OF DOCTOR NEWMAN’S REVELATIONS HAVE PEOPLE TALKING ON TIK TOK!
[SPEAKER]
“some people don’t catch the errors in their own age.. But apparently people are pretty bad at knowing how old they are. And imagine when you get old.. Well if you want to live forever … just never report your death”.
[KARAH RUCKER]
THE “IGG” NOBEL PRIZE DOCTOR NEWMAN WAS GIVEN IS A SATIRICAL AWARD THAT HONORS *UNUSUAL* SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND IS MEANT TO MAKE PEOPLE LAUGH … THEN THINK!
“IMPROBABLE RESEARCH” MAGAZINE HAS BEEN HANDING OUT THIS PRIZE EVERY YEAR SINCE 19-91.
FOR SAN I’M KARAH RUCKER.
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