'I'm a longevity expert - a pantry staple loved by centenarians in blue zones could add four years to your life'
Dan Buettner has closely studied the eating patterns of centenarians
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When it comes to longevity, there is no such thing as a short-term fix. It's the cumulative effects of our daily habits that determine how long we live.
Diet plays a crucial role, as simple dietary choices profoundly affect long-term health outcomes.
Longevity expert Dan Buettner identified beans as the ultimate food for extending lifespan based on his research in the world’s “blue zones”, where people enjoy exceptionally long lives.
In a clip shared to TikTok, he addressed common questions about longevity supplements, revealing dietary facts about centenarians.
Dan Buettner has closely studied the eating patterns of centenarians
TIKTOK / DANBUETTNER
“So people ask me all the time about supplements and I can tell you that people in the blue zones, people making it to 100 without disease.
“They’re not taking supplements or hormones or energy drinks, they take this, about 125 of these every day," he explained, holding up a black bean.
The dark-coloured legumes pack such an abundance of antioxidants that they rival blueberries.
“Black beans, people who are eating about a cup of beans a day live about four years longer than people who don’t eat beans," Dan added.
“So if you want the secret to longevity it might be right here.”
The science behind beans' remarkable longevity benefits boils down to their interaction with gut bacteria.
"We have 100 trillion bacteria living in our gut. Their favourite food is fibre", the longevity expert revealed.
Together, these health benefits make black beans the “number one longevity food”, according to Dan.
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Black beans are as rich in antioxidants as blueberries
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“When you feed them fibre, they produce short-chain fatty acids, which modulate our inflammation and help with our immune system," explained the expert.
A study quoted on the WebMD website found that individuals who eat beans daily typically consume less fat and saturated fat while taking in more fibre, protein, folate, iron and other important minerals.
Different beans offer unique health advantages, with chickpeas particularly high in folate.
Kidney beans, on the other hand, can be counted both as a protein source and a vegetable, according to the health body.
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