At 119, Jose Flores spends much of his day in a simple wooden home in Sardinal, Costa Rica. He naps, eats food prepared by his granddaughter and, remarkably, still arm-wrestles with her.Flores’ family and official documents say he was born on July 11, 1907. If international authorities confirm the records, he could become the world’s oldest living man. That verification is still underway.His story is especially striking because he lives in the Nicoya Peninsula, one of the world’s recognised longevity regions, often called a Blue Zone.
Who is Jose Flores?
Flores was a farmer who spent most of his life working in the countryside. He had eight children and now has 23 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren and one great-great-granddaughter.His granddaughter and caregiver, Hellen Flores, describes his present life as calm and happy. He still remembers stories from earlier years, jokes with his family and considers family one of the reasons he has lived so long.“Without love, without affection, without care, he would not still be here,” Hellen told Reuters.That detail may sound ordinary. At an age when longevity is often reduced to diets and supplements, Flores’ story points towards something much less glamorous: belonging.
Why does Nicoya produce so many long lives?
Nicoya has been studied for years because older residents have shown unusually high survival rates.A major population study published through the US National Institutes of Health found that a 60-year-old man living in Nicoya had a substantially higher chance of reaching 100 than men in several other countries. Researchers linked the region’s longevity advantage partly to lower cardiovascular mortality.The traditional diet also matters. Beans, rice, corn and other minimally processed foods have long been part of local eating patterns. Physical work, rather than structured exercise, was also built into everyday life.
Family may be as important as food
Jorge Vindas, founder of the Nicoya Peninsula Blue Zone Association, told Reuters that strong family and social networks, spirituality, physical activity and a relatively low-stress lifestyle are important parts of the picture.Research supports the importance of social and functional health among Nicoya’s oldest residents. A study of 43 centenarians found that these older adults had generally low rates of several major chronic conditions, although researchers also found malnutrition, hypertension and low vitamin D were common.So the Blue Zone story is not about perfect health. Even centenarians have health problems.
There may be a biological clue too
Researchers have also found biological differences worth noting.A study available through the US government’s NIH database found that people from Nicoya had longer average leukocyte telomeres than people elsewhere in Costa Rica, after accounting for several factors. Telomeres are protective DNA structures that shorten with cellular ageing, although they are not a simple “longevity switch.”Another study found an association between greater Amerindian ancestry and extended longevity among a small group of older Nicoyans. However, the sample was small, so it cannot prove that ancestry causes longer life.
Flores’ secret may be simpler than expected
There is no evidence that one food, mineral or habit explains Flores’ claimed 119 years.His life instead reflects several factors researchers repeatedly examine in long-lived populations: lifelong physical activity, traditional food, family connections, social participation and a calmer daily rhythm.For Flores, the answer sounds even simpler.He has family around him, food made at home and memories stretching back more than a century. Sometimes longevity is not one extraordinary trick. It is hundreds of ordinary days lived in a supportive environment.Disclaimer: Jose Flores’ reported age of 119 has not yet received international verification. His birth date and supporting historical records are reportedly being reviewed. The longevity factors discussed above are associations observed in research on Nicoya and should not be interpreted as guaranteed ways to extend lifespan.
