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An important historical discovery for longevity
2/5/2017
An important historical discovery, published in the highly prestigious journal Nature, concerning one of the "blue longevity zones" (Ikaria Island), was brought to light by the researchers at the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panagiota Pietri, Theodore Papaioannou and Christodoulos Stefanadis.
The new data emerged from an interdisciplinary research conducted by the research team of Emeritus Professor Christodoulos Stefanadis, aiming to the understanding of all possible environmental, social and historical factors (beyond the clinical and biological) which are likely to explain the observed longevity of the inhabitants of Ikaria.
Specifically, historical data reveal that centenarians were common on the island even 4 centuries ago, when a local archbishop captured essential elements of their longevity. In parallel, several social and environmental information of that time (17th century AD) that might contributed to peoples’ longevity were reported, despite the fact of the unpropitious living conditions of that period. Part of this research was published in the article:
“Environment: An old clue to the secret of longevity”
Nature. 2017 Apr 26;544(7651):416. doi: 10.1038/544416e