Uncommon Knowledge
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If drinking an elixir of bone broth, dehydrated pig blood, and celery juice while cold plunging in 39-degree spring and sea water could potentially extend your life, would you try it?
Chances are, you would, because the pursuit of longevity has become mainstream, with the global market expected to reach $183 billion by 2028.
But what if it was as easy as, say, living in Connecticut?
That’s what NowPatient’s newest index—inspired by the 2023 Netflix series “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones”—suggests, as
it aims to predict the next ten states to become Blue Zones.
Blue Zones are where some of the world’s oldest people live, characterized by lower chronic disease and significantly longer life expectancies. Currently, there are five Blue Zones globally, located in Italy, Greece, Japan, Costa Rica and Loma Linda, California.
According to the index, Connecticut is the eighth most likely state to become the next Blue Zone. So we asked an expert for his take.
“We have to remember that Blue Zones are something researchers have been looking at for years, but the man who popularized it wasn’t a researcher, but a journalist,” says Andrew Garritson, vice president of education at the Nutritional Coaching Institute and founder of Argentum, a quality information control organization.
“By nature, his job is to capture attention. So when we see one of the Power 9 criteria for a Blue Zone being ‘Wine at 5’, we should be skeptical,” he says.
Research is pretty well established around alcohol consumption being associated with all-cause mortality, he adds, so to claim that ‘moderate drinkers outlive non-drinkers’ is misleading.
“It’s correlation, not causation,” he says. “That said, everything is a trade-off. Moderate alcohol consumption can be the mechanism indicating that a community is more socially fulfilled—and social fulfillment and belonging has been shown to increase longevity.”
“So the physical trade-off of alcohol consumption can be offset by the social benefits that come from the environment it’s consumed in,” says Garritson.
In the new index citing Connecticut as a promising Blue Zone candidate, researchers looked at mental health, diet, exercise, religion, plant-based diets, sleep and life expectancy.
When asked for his take, Garritson largely agreed with the criteria observed to increase longevity. “It’s not necessarily about religion … per se,” says Garritson. “Religion might be the mechanism that shows you’re plugged into a social community.”
He adds that recent research showed that there was decreased all-cause mortality with a plant-based diet, but notes that people who follow plant-based diets can be at higher risk of nutrient deficiencies, which can lead to sickness.
“The key is to eat complete sources of protein in a plant-based diet, which requires a more mindful food selection,” he says.
So, does Connecticut have a shot at becoming the next Blue Zone? Yes, but the criteria for getting there might need a bit of a deeper dive.
WHEN IT COMES TO DIRECT, NO-NONSENSE, SCIENCE-BASED FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO LONGER, HEALTHIER LIVES, ANDREW GARRITSON DRILLS IT DOWN TO THESE FIVE HABITS:
Image: Julija – stock.adobe.com
Andrew Garritson has helped more than 2,000 people lose 40,000+ pounds of fat, gain 4,600+ pounds of lean body mass, and eliminate 100+ medications You can connect with him on LinkedIn.
Amid rising bear encounters in the state, an adult black bear and its cub were found trapped inside a car outside a home in Winsted, Connecticut, on July 15, according to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).
DEEP environmental conservation officers were called by the vehicle owner in the northwestern town. Upon arrival, officers opened the car door, releasing the two bears. The bears reportedly ran off with a third bear that had been running around in distress while the two were trapped.
State officials believe that the bears opened the car door themselves to enter the vehicle.
AP Photo
Newsweek reached out to DEEP’s communications team for comment via email on Friday.
The car’s interior was completely torn apart from the bears thrashing. The bears appeared to blare the horn and play the radio.
The northwestern part of the state has the highest concentration of black bears, according to DEEP. Last year, bears were found in all but three cities and towns across the state, with sightings in 165 of 169 municipalities. This past week, there have been three publicly reported bear-related incidents.
The black bear population is growing in the state, and based on data published in DEEP’s 2024 State of the Bears, there are an estimated 1,000 to 1,200 bears in the state, adding that “the population has a high potential for growth,” given their habitat and food sources.
In June 2023, a state law passed that allows individuals to seek permits to kill a bear if it is damaging livestock and agriculture, as well as establishing the right to use deadly force in defense of an attack.
A year after the law was passed, this June, a Connecticut resident shot and killed a 450-pound adult male black bear, claiming it was in self-defense.
This past week, three bear-related incidents were publicly reported, including a bear being killed after being hit by cars and another euthanized after reportedly biting a woman.
DEEP requests residents to report bear sightings on its website. So far this year, there have been 7,674 reported bear sightings, with 2,255 “bear conflicts” in the state, according to the state’s wildlife sighting public viewer.
In February 2023, DEEP launched it’s “Be Bear Aware” public campaign to raise awareness and lower the total human-bear conflicts in the state through education programs and conflict management advice.
In an email to CT Insider regarding the July 15 incident, DEEP Senior Advisor Ethan H. Van Ness said: “DEEP would like to remind residents to remain bear aware. Always lock your car doors, particularly if you live in areas with regular bear activity.”
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
CONNECTICUT — Since 1940, the Connecticut Sports Media Alliance (formerly the Connecticut Sports Writers’ Alliance) has presented Gold Keys to deserving individuals who had made a considerable impact on the state’s sports landscape. In addition to the Gold Keys, other awards are meted out in various categories, and the CSMA has named the final nine recipients who will be honored at the 82nd annual dinner this fall.
Receiving accolades at the dinner will be:
Gold Key Award recipients for 2024, announced in the spring, are former Daniel Hand High School and Yale University football coach Larry Ciotti, longtime Windham High School wrestling and football coach Brian Crudden, retired Pomperaug High School field hockey coach Linda Dirga, award-winning sportscaster George Grande and Wesleyan University women’s basketball coach Kate Mullen.
Proceeds support the Bo Kolinsky Memorial Sports Media Scholarship, a $3,000 annual award named in memory of the noted high school sports editor of the Hartford Courant and past CSMA president, who passed away in 2003 at age 49.
SOUTHBURY, Conn. (WTNH) — Connecticut State Police have launched a new program designed to help victims of any kind of crime walk into a business and be in a secure location while police are called.
All someone has to do is walk into a business and let the owner know that they are in distress, and the owner will call 911.
Safe Place program originated in Seattle and has now been brought to Connecticut. Trooper Samantha Stella it’s in its beginning stages.
Several businesses in Southbury and one in East Haddam have signed up. Programs at various technical schools are also trying to help bullying.
Tammy Dunn, the owner of the Cottage At Main, said she was eager to sign up for the program right away. She believes it’s a unique idea for community businesses to be there to help other people in their time of need.
Connecticut State Police use Aviation Unit to curb speeding on Route 8
Stella said while the program initially was launched to focus on hate crimes, it now encompasses any kind of crime. State police want to be very clear that this is not some kind of vigilante group, and they should leave the police work to police officers.
Connecticut State Police hope to have various kinds of businesses on board, including places like grocery stores, banks, retail shops, gyms and veterinary clinics.
If a Connecticut business is interested in being part of this, they can reach out to the Hate Crimes Unit with Connecticut State Police for more information.
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