Blue Zones Project staff pose for a photo.

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - Behind the clear glass doors of downtown Yuba City’s Blue Zones Project is a group discussing business strategies around a large table.

Blue Zones Project Executive Director Marni Sanders took time away from the meetings to talk about the group’s work.

Blue Zones Project is based on research by Dan Buettner, author, explorer and longevity researcher, along with a National Geographic team that set out to find places where people were living longer lives. The researchers found five locations where there were many centenarians who lived a better quality of life by following nine principles, which contributed to their long life spans.

“The Danish Twin Study established that only about 20 percent of how long the average person lives is dictated by genes, while about 80 percent is influenced by lifestyle and environment,” said Buettner, founder of the Blue Zones concept.

In 2009, Buettner took his findings to the city of Albert Lea, Minnesota to start a Blue Zone community and improve life longevity by implementing Power 9 principles. Buettner partnered with community leaders to help residents feel younger, lose weight and maximize mental sharpness. Albert Lea’s Blue Zones Project saved $8.6 million in healthcare costs, added 2.9 years to participants’ lifespans, reduced smoking and revitalized the downtown areas by adding walkways, according to representatives.

Pictured here are Yuba City’s Blue Zones Project offices.

Today, there are more than 70 communities incorporating the work of Blue Zones Project.

In 2020, Adventist Health acquired Blue Zones, a pioneer in focusing on implementing a comprehensive and environmental approach to improving community health. Now, Yuba Sutter Blue Zones Project on Plumas Street is an arm of Adventist Health. Blue Zones partners with local work sites, restaurants, grocery stores, schools and other approved organizations by taking a community-wide approach. Blue Zones works with these organizations to promote healthier eating habits, create tobacco-free policies and provide easier access to healthy foods. They also work with cities and counties to add and provide walkways, community gardens and create healthy worksites so employees feel better, which can lower healthcare costs.

Are the Yuba Sutter Blue Zones Project participants showing progress?

“While we have some successes that we could share anecdotally, it is a little early to show any marked changes in the data,” Sanders said.

To learn more about this program, visit https://yubasutter.bluezonesproject.com.