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Scientists say the key to longer living could be hidden deep inside Amazon rainforest

Home> Science

Published 10:15 21 Aug 2024 GMT+1

Scientists say the key to longer living could be hidden deep inside Amazon rainforest

They spend less than 10% of their daylight hours sitting still

Rebekah Jordan

Rebekah Jordan

Want to live a longer, healthier life?

It turns out, we might learn a thing or two from people living far off the beaten path.

While we all know that eating well, staying active, and avoiding smoking are key to good health, there's a group of people in the Bolivian jungle who might have even more to teach us.

Scientists claim an indigenous tribe in the heart of the Bolivian jungle are the healthiest humans ever studied.

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The Tsimane community is one of the last groups on planet Earth to live a lifestyle focused on hunting, foraging and farming.

They spend less than 10% of their daylight hours in sedentary activities, compared to 54% for people in industralised populations.

Ricardo Lima / MASTER / Getty
Ricardo Lima / MASTER / Getty

Moreover, they have little access to processed foods, alcohol and cigarettes which has major benefits for their health.

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Their longevity and remarkable heart and brain health have long amazed scientists.

They have yet to find a single case of Alzheimer's among the tribe’s 16,000 members, rooted deep in the Amazon rainforest.

Studies also show elderly members of the group have 70% less brain atrophy than those of the same age in more developed countries.

'We found zero cases of Alzheimer's among the entire adult population - it is remarkable,' Bolivian doctor Daniel Eid Rodríguez, a medical coordinator for the researchers, told the BBC.

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For over 20 years, anthropologist Hillard Kaplan from the University of New Mexico and his team have studied the Tsimane.

They found the Tsimanes stayed active by hunting animals, planting food and weaving roofs - a typical hunt lasts over 8 hours and covers 11 miles.

The diet especially is different to that of Westerners.

Ricardo Lima / MASTER / Getty
Ricardo Lima / MASTER / Getty

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Only 14% of the calories they consume are from fat, compared to 34% in the US, according to the research cited by the BBC.

Their diets are also high in fibre and 72% of their calories come from carbohydrates, whereas in the US it's 52%.

Additionally, their protein mainly comes from hunted animals like birds, monkeys and fish.

Such lifestyle habits could be the key to longer living in Western societies, scientists have concluded and something we could apply to our own lives.

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One challenge with the research is that the Tsimane don’t keep track of their ages very well, so scientists often use the ages of their children to estimate their own ages.

'Now the most difficult thing is my body. I don’t walk far any more… it will be two days at most,' a 78-year-old Tsimane called Juan told the BBC.

Despite their impressive health, the Tsimane still face a low life expectancy due to environmental threats.

Featured Image Credit: Ricardo Lima / MASTER / Getty
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