Why Spain the country with the longest life expectancy!

Why Spain Is Set to Become the Country With the Longest Life Expectancy

Want a live a bit longer? Do as the Spaniards do.

According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Spain is set to become the country with the longest life expectancy by 2040, with the average citizen living until they are 85.8 years old. It will surpass the current title holder, Japan, where the number is 85.7.

The other countries in the top five include Singapore, Switzerland, and Portugal. The U.S. fell 20 places from 43 to 64, due in part to the country’s opioid crisis.

So what sets Spain apart from every other country in the world? Their diet—Doctor Christopher Murray, director of the IHME, told The Guardian.

The biggest health threats over the next few decades, says the IHME, are obesity, high blood pressure, and blood sugar, as well as tobacco and alcohol use. Which means that for life expectancy, what you eat plays an essential role. And in Spain, that means following a Mediterranean diet.

A Mediterranean diet emphasizes ingredients like local fruits, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, and fish, and as the name implies, is popular in seaside countries like Spain, Italy, and Greece. It’s touted as not only physically beneficial, but mentally: research suggests it could decrease the risk of depression..

A similar lifestyle is followed on the island of Sardinia, known for its many octogenarians. Their diet—heavy on olive oil, herbs, and seafood—has a heavy Spanish influence thanks to the centuries the island spent under Catalan rule.

Now, no diet is a cure-all. But in an age of countless fad eating trends, when foods swing in and out of favor, perhaps a lifestyle that’s lasted for centuries is one worth sticking to.

Vogue by Elise Taylor                   

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