TL;DR
Get workout gear delivered free — and shop member deals
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Access to Prime Big Deal Days deals on October 6–7
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
A study in Frontiers in Aging reports unusually high late-life survival among women in Bolotana, Sardinia. Researchers estimate that 13.8% of women there who reach age 70 live to 100, compared with about 3.5% in Italy and 3.6% in the United States; the study identifies a longevity pattern but does not establish its causes.
A study published in Frontiers in Aging identifies unusually high late-life survival among women in Bolotana, a village in Sardinia, as a possible longevity hotspot. Researchers estimate that 13.8% of women who reach 70 in the village live to 100, compared with an estimated 3.6% of women in the United States. The study does not explain what accounts for the difference.
The researchers examined records for people born in Bolotana between 1900 and 1925, documenting 38 centenarians among 3,060 births. To check ages, the team cross-referenced municipal civil records with church and baptismal archives. The authors say this allowed them to validate the ages of people who lived past 100 using independent records.
The analysis focused on two measures: life expectancy at age 70 and the probability of surviving from 70 to 100. For women in Bolotana who reached 70, researchers estimated almost 21 additional years of life expectancy. The 13.8% estimate for reaching 100 compares with approximately 3.5% for women in Italy and 3.6% for women in the United States.
The village, which has about 2,300 residents, had six people aged 100 or older living there in 2024, the study report said. The report said this prevalence was roughly 11 times the U.S. rate. That is a separate measure from the study’s chance-of-reaching-100 estimate and reflects the number of centenarians living in the village at that point.
Why Bolotana’s Records Matter
The findings add a possible new site to research on communities with unusually long lives, while offering an opportunity to study longevity using records that can be checked across multiple archives. That matters because claims of exceptional ages can be difficult to assess when birth dates are uncertain. The authors argue that Bolotana’s civil and church records provide a stronger basis for confirming ages than accounts relying on a single source.
The results also draw attention to a pattern that differs from Sardinia’s better-known longevity research. The island’s previously identified blue zone is noted for unusually high male longevity, while women stand out in this Bolotana analysis. If further research can clarify which characteristics are associated with survival, they may inform studies of aging elsewhere. The current findings, however, do not show that any particular lifestyle practice causes people to live longer.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
How Bolotana Entered Longevity Research
Researchers first took notice of Bolotana after observing its concentration of centenarians. The study team then reconstructed residents’ life histories over more than a century, matching birth, death and baptismal records to assess whether reported ages were accurate. The paper, by Giovanni Mario Pes and co-authors, was published in 2026 in Frontiers in Aging.
The term blue zone refers to places identified in research as having unusually long-lived populations. Existing examples cited in the report include Okinawa in Japan and Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula. Sardinia already has a recognized blue zone, but the new study examines Bolotana as a distinct community and emphasizes female survival. The authors describe the village as a possible new blue zone, rather than presenting that label as a settled explanation or formal designation.
“What makes Bolotana extraordinary is that it has an incredible historical record that allows us to definitively evaluate ages at birth and death.”
— S. Jay Olshansky, study co-author and professor emeritus of epidemiology at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
What the Survival Pattern Cannot Explain
The study identifies an unusual survival pattern but does not establish its cause. Researchers point to possible influences including diet, physical activity, family support, social connection and genetics, but the findings do not separate the effects of these factors or demonstrate that any one of them produces longer life.
The reported figures are estimates based on historical records and the study’s comparison groups. The available report does not provide enough detail to assess every methodological limitation or the precision of each estimate. It also remains unclear whether Bolotana’s pattern continues among more recent generations. The “new blue zone” description is a research possibility, not proof that the community’s practices can be replicated elsewhere.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Further Study of Local Lifespans
The next step is for researchers to examine the possible contributors to Bolotana’s late-life survival, including daily activity, food, social ties and inherited factors. Further work could also test whether the pattern holds across later birth cohorts and how results change under different comparison methods.
No follow-up study or timeline is specified in the report. Until additional research clarifies the mechanisms, the findings support Bolotana’s value as a place for studying longevity, but not a recipe for extending life elsewhere.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
What did the Bolotana study find?
Researchers estimated that 13.8% of women who reach age 70 in Bolotana live to 100. The comparable estimates cited were about 3.5% for women in Italy and 3.6% for women in the United States.
Does the study prove that Bolotana is a blue zone?
No. The study suggests Bolotana may be a new longevity hotspot or blue zone, based on its late-life survival pattern. The label is presented as a possibility, not a confirmed explanation or designation.
Why do researchers trust the reported ages?
The team matched municipal, birth, death and baptismal records to check ages. The researchers say they were able to validate the ages of residents who lived past 100.
What might contribute to longevity in Bolotana?
The researchers identify diet, walking and other physical activity, family support, social connection and genetics as factors worth investigating. The study does not establish that any of them causes longer life.
Source: rss
Halloween Picks
halloween
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
