“God said, ‘Behold, I give you all the seed-bearing plants of the whole earth, and every tree in which there is seed,'” read Genesis 1:29. “‘They will make you for food.'”
This particular Bible passage is fundamental to Seventh-day Adventists, a Protestant Christian denomination with more than a million members across North America. Most believe that God wants them to take care of their bodies through a balanced vegetarian diet as well as regular exercise and other healthy lifestyle habits. And it’s paying off because this small religious group lives longer than most Americans.
In fact, Seventh-day Adventists live about a decade longer than the rest of the US population. Here’s more about their religion, lifestyle, food habits and important lessons they share with the rest of the world.
Who are Seventh-day Adventists?
The Seventh-day Adventist Church was officially established in the mid-1800s, and since then, it has grown steadily to include about 1.2 million people, located mainly throughout the United States and Canada.
Loma Linda, CA is particularly noted for its affiliation with the church and is home to approximately 9,000 Seventh-day Adventists. Most reject evolution and believe that God created the heavens, the earth, and all living things in six days. Instead of Sunday, as is the norm in most Christian denominations, Seventh-day Adventists worship on Saturday.
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According to Pew Research, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is a particularly racially and ethnically diverse American religious group — about 32 percent of members are black, while 15 percent are Hispanic and 8 percent are Asian.
Although the Church is not generally accepting of the LGBTQ+ community. According to the Human Rights Campaign, it “condemns same-sex practices and relationships.”
Seventh-day Adventist views on the queer community may be outside of modern thought (acceptance of same-sex relationships in America reached an all-time high last year, according to a Gallup study), but many argue that there are still lessons we can learn from the way these people live.
In fact, the Seventh-day Adventist approach to diet and lifestyle has earned Loma Linda the coveted title of “Blue Zone,” the geographic area where people live longer than most.
What are Blue Zones and how do they relate to the Adventist Church?
There are five official Blue Zones in the world, and as well as Loma Linda, they include Ikaria in Greece; Barbagia, Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; and Nicoya in Costa Rica.
These areas, identified by the official Blue Zone organization, have more non-agenarians (people over 90) and centenarians (people over 100) than anywhere else in the world. In the United States, the average life expectancy is about 77, and the leading cause of death is heart disease.
Loma Linda is the only one of the five Blue Zone communities that follows the specific teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but they still have many similarities to other places on the list.
In fact, the Blue Zone organization notes that there are nine key factors that link all of these communities and their longevity together. They are called Power 9, and they are as follows:
- Walk naturally (just relaxing, natural activities, rather than pumping weights)
- have a purpose
- Downshift (which is, essentially, effective pressure management)
- The 80 percent rule (eat until your stomach is 80 percent full)
- Plant-based (significantly limit meat and eat beans for protein)
- Wine @ 5 (drink alcohol in moderation like Adventists or not at all)
- Belong (most Blue Zone centenarians belong to some form of faith-based community)
- Loved Ones First (Take care of your family and they will take care of you)
- Right tribe (have a healthy, committed social circle)
Why do Seventh-day Adventists live so long?
Seventh-day Adventists themselves have done extensive research on why they live longer than other denominations in America. And their findings, published as part of Adventist Health Studies at Loma Linda University, are important in understanding the power of nutrition in combating chronic disease.
Because Seventh-day Adventists eat very little meat, they tend to eat more plant-based protein sources, including nuts. And so, in the 1970s, an Adventist Health Study began investigating this diet and they found an association between eating nuts and reducing the risk of coronary heart disease.
According to research, eating almonds one to four times a week reduces the risk of non-fatal heart attacks by 74 percent and the risk of fatal coronary heart disease by 73 percent.
The same study suggested that this frequent nut consumption, combined with an overall vegetarian diet, was a key contributing factor to the longevity of Seventh-day Adventists. Similar to the Blue Zone study, low body weight, never smoking and regular exercise were also found to be key factors.
“To reach the age of 100, you have to win the genetic lottery. But most of us have the ability to make it well into our early 90s and largely without chronic disease,” notes the official Blue Zone organization. “As Adventists have shown, adopting a Blue Zone lifestyle The average human life expectancy can increase by 10-12 years.”
To learn more about plant-based diets and health, read:
Charlotte is a writer and editor based in sunny Southsea on the south coast of England.