Why do so many Sardinian men live to 100?
Breakfast Atlas | Italy: Sardinia
In most places, women considerably outnumber men at 100. In a group of mountain villages in central-eastern Sardinia, researchers found 47 men and 44 women who had reached the milestone. In one village, Villagrande Strisaili, 16 of its 30 centenarians were men. These were people born between 1880 and 1900, whose ages researchers checked against historical records. The figures describe a particular generation and place, rather than Sardinia as a whole today.
So what was different about those men’s lives?
The hills may matter more than the menu
Many men in these villages traditionally worked as shepherds. Their days involved following animals across mountainous ground, often walking a considerable distance just to reach work. When researchers compared Sardinian areas with higher and lower male longevity, they found significant associations with shepherding, steeper terrain and longer journeys to work. Most of the dietary measures they tested did not significantly differ between the areas.
That does not prove climbing hills will make someone live to 100. It does give the mystery a more interesting lead than a supposedly magic ingredient: for these men, movement was built into the working day.
As Dan Buettner puts it in the Sardinia episode of Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones: “They don’t even know it, but they’re exercising.”
What was on the table?
Traditional meals still offer a window into daily life. Wholegrain bread, beans, garden vegetables and fruit were familiar staples. Sheep’s milk cheese featured too, while meat was generally saved for Sundays or special occasions. In the documentary, Buettner visits a Sardinian kitchen where minestrone is made with beans and whatever vegetables are growing in the garden.
Food was only part of the picture. The series shows older relatives remaining closely involved in family life. Buettner says he first focused on sourdough and minestrone, but came to place greater weight on the area’s family traditions. That is his interpretation; researchers say the men’s exceptional longevity probably has several causes, potentially including genetics, environment and social life.
There is no verified Sardinian secret you can put on a plate. But the evidence raises a good question for breakfast: what would change if moving, eating well and seeing other people were easier parts of an ordinary day?
That is the idea behind The Breakfast Atlas, a 12-part monthly series exploring places through their flavours, traditions and ways of life. We begin with Italy, inspired by Sardinia, over rustic wholegrain bread, fresh ricotta, honey and seasonal fruit.
Italy: Sardinia
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