Exposure to low environmental radiation and longevity. Insights from the Ikaria Study

Abstract

Ikaria, a medium-size island consisting mainly of igneous rocks, in central eastern Aegean Sea, Greece, has recently joined the “Blue Zones”, a part of a large anthropologic project of the Quest Network, Inc. funded by the National Institute on Aging and the National Geographic [1], as the percent of people over 90+ years was almost 10-fold than the European average. Following this observation, the Ikaria Study was conducted in 2009, to further explore the secrets of the long-livers. In a recent report from the study, it was suggested that consumption of a Mediterranean-type of diet, all-day enrollment to any type of physical activities, smoking cessation, mid-day naps, might depict some of the “secrets” of the long-livers [2].