Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Chirurgiche e Sperimentali, University of Sassari, Viale San Pietro 8, I-07100 Sassari, Italy.
Asociación Península de Nicoya‒Zona Azul, San Juan de Tibás 145-1100, San José, Costa Rica.
Nutrients. 2020 Jun 1;12(6):1621. doi: 10.3390/nu12061621.
(1) Background: Longevity Blue Zones (LBZs) are populations characterized by exceptional longevity. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to compare the food habits of two representative samples of the oldest old subjects from the population residing in the LBZs of Nicoya peninsula (Costa Rica) and in the mountainous part of Ogliastra (Sardinia, Italy). (2) Methods: Data were collected using validated tools, including a food frequency questionnaire, Basic Activities of Daily Living (BADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) scales for functional autonomy, body mass index, and waist and limbs circumferences. (3) Results: A total of 210 subjects, 60 (31 male) from Nicoya (age range 80‒109 years), and 150 (61 male) from Ogliastra (age 90‒101 years) were included in the study. In both populations, the highest frequencies of consumption were recorded for plant-derived foods (cereals 60‒80% daily, legumes ≥ 80% daily in Nicoya, ≥ 60% 2‒5 servings/week in Ogliastra), followed by those of animal origin (dairy products, meat) ≥ 60% and 80% daily, in Nicoya and Ogliastra, respectively. The frequency of milk consumption showed a positive correlation with BADL (ρ = 0.268 for Nicoya and ρ = 0.214 for Ogliastra) and IADL scores (ρ = 0.466 for Nicoya and ρ = 0.471 for Ogliastra), whereas legumes consumption correlated negatively with self-rated health (ρ = ‒0.264) and IADL (ρ = ‒0.332). (4) Conclusions: Our results indicate that the dominant dietary model among the elderly of Nicoya and Ogliastra is a plant-based diet complemented by a non-negligible consumption of animal products, mostly dairy products. Further prospective studies are needed to ascertain a possible cause‒effect relationship between food habits and increased likelihood of reaching advanced age.
(1) 背景：长寿蓝区（LBZs）是指人口具有异常长寿的特征。本横断面研究的目的是比较居住在尼科亚半岛（哥斯达黎加）和奥利亚斯特拉山区（意大利撒丁岛） LBZs 的两个最年长人群样本的饮食习惯。(2) 方法：使用经过验证的工具收集数据，包括食物频率问卷、基本日常生活活动（BADL）和工具性日常生活活动（IADL）量表，用于评估功能自主性、体重指数以及腰围和四肢周长。(3) 结果：共有 210 名受试者，其中 60 名（31 名男性）来自尼科亚（年龄范围 80-109 岁），150 名（61 名男性）来自奥利亚斯特拉（年龄 90-101 岁）。在这两个群体中，植物性食物的食用频率最高（谷物 60-80%每天，豆类在尼科亚≥80%每天，在奥利亚斯特拉≥60%每周 2-5 份），其次是动物性食物（乳制品、肉类）在尼科亚和奥利亚斯特拉分别为≥60%和 80%每天。牛奶的食用频率与 BADL（尼科亚 ρ=0.268，奥利亚斯特拉 ρ=0.214）和 IADL 评分呈正相关（尼科亚 ρ=0.466，奥利亚斯特拉 ρ=0.471），而豆类的食用频率与自我评估的健康状况（尼科亚 ρ=0.264，奥利亚斯特拉 ρ=0.332）和 IADL 呈负相关。(4) 结论：我们的研究结果表明，尼科亚和奥利亚斯特拉老年人的主要饮食模式是植物性饮食，辅以不可忽视的动物产品消费，主要是乳制品。需要进一步的前瞻性研究来确定饮食习惯与增加长寿可能性之间的可能因果关系。
