Blue Zones: For Profit or For the People
By: Yitz Jacobson, Sarah Snyder, Michael Xu
Blue Zones are the epitome of health, with communities there living longer and healthier than the rest of the world; however, are the researchers using these lifestyles to help the masses or are they using them to make a profit?
For our final project, we wanted to study Blue Zones and whether or not they are a product of the for-profit food industry. In a world of increasing mortality and morbidity - primarily from noncommunicable diseases - Blue Zones offer secrets to success in health and longevity. Blue Zones, defined as five geographical regions with the highest probability of reaching age 100, have some of the healthiest populations in the world and they all practice similar techniques and behaviors that are likely the reason for their success. The researchers behind Blue Zones are trying to bring these aspects into American communities via Blue Zone Projects. However, the food industry has been able to use fad diets and weight loss programs to make a profit off of obesity. We wanted to know if Blue Zones are just another way for the food industry to continue to make a profit. In the following articles, we each wrote a main article that can help bring answers to our questions."
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