Man 'cheated death' for almost 40 years because of scientific 'blue zone' where people live longer

A man was able to 'cheat death' by living in a part of the world known as a 'blue zone'.

He believed living in a specific area of the world, which is known for its higher than average life expectancy, helped him cheat death for almost 40 years.

But where is this magical location - described as 'the island where people forget to die' - and how does it actually work?

Stamatis Moraitis was diagnosed with cancer in 1976 and was given between six-nine months to live.

He told the BBC he used to live in the US, but the costs of organising a funeral were so high he decided to move to the Greek island of Ikaria, where he could 'start drinking wine and wait for the day' he died.

However, his plan didn't quite work out how he though it would.

The island is described as one of the 'blue zones' in the world where people live significantly longer than the average life expectancy, and Moraitis believes this is what helped him outlive his prognosis.

BBC

Despite drinking wine and waiting to die, he surpassed the nine-month period and actually ended up living for another near-40 years, eventually passing away in 2013 aged either 98 (officially) or 102 (according to him).

He put his health and recovery down to clean air, good food and a stress free life on the island - also joking that 'the wine helped'.

But was it really the island and his lifestyle which gave Moraitis nearly 40 more years of life?

Well, according to the National Library of Medicine, studies have demonstrated that only about 20 percent of a person's life expectancy is determined by their genetics, the rest is down to lifestyle.

robertharding/Alamy Stock Photo

However, studies into 'blue zones' found that leaving the onus for a healthy lifestyle down to the individual does not work, but having people living in healthy places does appear to.

If you want to go somewhere in the world where the people live longer, then you've got quite the list of travel destinations on your hands.

Along with the island of Ikaria in Greece other 'blue zone' locations around the world include the Japanese island of Okinawa, Mediterranean island Sardinia, Loma Linda in California and Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula.

BBC

People living in these parts of the world statistically live longer, healthier lives and are less likely to pick up serious afflictions later on in life.

As for why this is, Healthline claims it's because people in these areas have much healthier diets with the foods produced in the local areas - many being the type doctors always say you should be eating more of.

Some of these places also practice certain customs thought to keep them alive longer than normal, as residents of Okinawa only eat until they're about 80 percent full, and the slightly lower calorie intakes are meant to be good for you.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature.