ASSIGNMENT 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

Name: Võ Hà Nhật Lam

Student ID: BTBTIU20182

Life expectancy can be determined by genetics, however, there are

many research findings that demonstrate habits play an important role in
life expectancy and help prolong life. The impact of habits related to a
long life has been researched by Buettner (2015), Kerkez (2017), and
Posner (2018).
Buettner (2015) mentioned that physical exercise is linked to longevity.
Evidence for this can be seen in Okinawa, Japan (one of the places
where people live the longest and healthiest lives) where people are
used to having natural walking, and the old women still get up and down
off the ground 30 or 40 times a day, or in Sardinia, Italy, they commute
on their foot and do intense regular physical activity while undertaking
daily duties such as mixing up a cake by hand (Buettner, 2015). Kerkez
(2017) concluded that physical exercises such as walking, swimming,
aqua exercises, and cycling are the highest preventative and therapeutic
influences on age-related changes.
Many scholars believed that a healthy diet is beneficial for longevity, for
instance, Posner (2018) provided that the Japanese consume plant-
based products, being rich in vitamins and minerals like soy, seaweed,
vegetables of lots of colors, and tofu can reduce the risk of cancer and
heart disease. Similarly, concentrating in and around Loma Linda,
California, America’s longest-lived population is used to eating legumes
and green plants, also in Sardinia, Italy, people mostly eat plant-based
food and came up with unleavened whole-wheat bread, and grass-fed
cheeses high in omega-3 fatty acids. Besides, Sardinians also daily
consume regional red wine, called Cannonau (Buettner, 2015), while the
Japanese have kept the habit of drinking tea for several centuries, which
helps regulate blood pressure, digestion, stress, and prevent cancer
(Posner, 2018). In addition, Buettner (2015) mentioned that the way
residents of Okinawa in Japan eat should be a concern. Specifically,
Okinawans continue practicing and following the ‘‘Hara Hachi Bu’’ diet
rule translates to English as ‘‘ eat until you are eight (out of ten) parts
full’’ or ‘‘ belly 80 percent full’’, which helps the digestive system. In order
to follow this diet, they have some little strategies to keep them from
overeating, for instance, they use smaller plates and narrow glasses to
adjust their daily food consumption without thinking. Furthermore,
instead of serving family-style, they serve at the counter where they
have to bring food to the table.
The other lifestyle habit that both Buettner (2015) and Kerkez (2017)
found to keep people spry past age 100 is stress control. According to
Kerkez (2017), the best way to fight stress is with mind/body exercise
practices and keeping the brain workout to stay young with some
activities like reading, playing games, and challenging with new hobbies.
However, Buettner (2015) argued that the right outlook, which consists
of downshifting and the life purpose, can make life become worthier and
more comfortable. With regard to the former, for instance, no matter how
busy and stressed, the Adventists stop everything and spend time with
their kids or focus on their God. This culture is ritualistically followed by
Adventists, which heals and helps them release stress. The Adventists
focus on their God, the Sardinians pray, and the Okinawans have their
ancestor veneration, which means they all have time to slow down and
look back on their life, belong and believe in their religion. Another
research related to stress control is the life purpose, ‘‘ikigai’’ – a
Japanese word that means ‘‘the reason for which you wake up every
morning’’ or ‘‘reason for living’’. There is no word for retirement in
Okinawa, they have the word ‘‘ikigai’’ instead which gives them a reason
to wake up every morning, for example, the 100-year-old fisherman still
catches fish three times a week for his family or the 102-year-old woman
still takes care of her granddaughter. Similarly, 97 years old man living in
Loma Linda - Ellsworth Wareham build a privacy fence by himself and
still does 20 open-heart surgeries every month.
Kerkez (2017) found that ‘‘people who have a wider circle of friends tend
to age better all around.’’ because establishing relationships and social
interaction help to maintain cognitive function and protection against
diseases. In Okinawa, because of social constructs, Okinawans
automatically have many friends who travel through life with them and
they call it ‘‘moai’’. ‘‘Moai’’ means a group of lifelong friends, who have
been together and support health, interests, or finances for their friends
when they are having a hard time (Buettner, 2015). When it comes to
family relationships, the way Sardinians organize their society and treat
the treat older people which had been considered in Buettner’s speech.
Typically, Buettner (2015) said that the elderly are taken care of and kept
living close to their descendants, which imparts about 4-6 years of extra
life expectancy.
These recent studies by Buettner (2015), Kerkez (2017), and Posner
(2018) have provided four factors related to life expectancy as well as a
longer and healthier life, including physical exercise, stress reduction,
proper diet, and connection.