Sardinian village stands out for exceptionally long-lived women
A peer-reviewed study describes strikingly high survival rates for women over 70 in Bolotana.
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Researchers see the Sardinian village of Bolotana as a possible new area where people live exceptionally long. According to their study, 13.8 per cent of women who reach 70 there may celebrate their 100th birthday.
The researchers analysed population registers and mortality data from Bolotana, a mountain village in Sardinia. For women who reached 70 during the period studied, they calculated an average remaining life expectancy of 20.85 years. That figure is a statistical estimate based on historical and recent data, not a prediction for every resident.
The result stands out compared with surrounding reference populations. The study gives a remaining life expectancy at age 70 of 18.61 years for the province of Nuoro, compared with 18.40 years for Sardinia and 18.06 years for Italy. Among women in Bolotana, the likelihood of surviving from 70 to 100 is particularly striking.
Sardinia has long been known for villages with relatively high numbers of centenarians. The originally described ‘blue zone’ lies approximately 110 kilometres from Bolotana and was mainly associated with several villages in the centre and east of the island. The new study suggests that the pattern may be geographically broader than previously thought.
The publication provides no proven explanation for the high figures. The research does not establish factors such as the living environment, social conditions, diet, exercise and hereditary influences separately as causes. The village is also small, meaning that a few deaths can strongly affect the percentages.
The researchers stress that the results should be read as an initial demographic indication. The study appeared on 5 October as a peer-reviewed brief report in Frontiers in Aging. This means that the research has been assessed by fellow specialists, but not that the finding is automatically settled or that Bolotana definitively qualifies as a new ‘blue zone’.
Further research will have to establish whether the striking survival rates persist over longer periods and whether comparable patterns are found in other villages. Caution is also needed with popular lifestyle explanations: the existence of many elderly residents does not mean that a single dish, habit or village characteristic causes their longevity.
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The central figures come from the peer-reviewed study and are independently described by the University of Illinois Chicago and The Guardian. The article clearly distinguishes between statistical association and proven causes.
- confirmed The study on Bolotana appeared on 5 October 2026 in Frontiers in Aging. — The publication page gives the date, journal and article status. source
- confirmed For women who reach 70 in Bolotana, the estimated chance of reaching 100 is 13.8 per cent. — This figure appears in the study and in UIC’s summary. source
- confirmed The remaining life expectancy at age 70 for women in Bolotana was estimated at 20.85 years. — The study gives this as an estimate with a confidence interval. source
- confirmed Bolotana lies approximately 110 kilometres from the Sardinian blue zone described earlier. — The study gives this geographical distance. source
- confirmed The study does not prove why residents of Bolotana live longer. — The publication reports demographic patterns, not a separate causal lifestyle study. source
Editor's note
The study is peer-reviewed and its key figures have been confirmed by multiple sources. The size of the village and the limited period make the result provisional; the causes of the long lifespans have not been established.Sources
- A new blue zone? Exceptional late-life survival in Bolotana, Sardinia — Frontiers in Aging
- Sardinian Village May Be a New Longevity Hotspot — University of Illinois Chicago via Newswise
- Sardinian village where more women reach 100 may be new centenarian blue zone — The Guardian
More on this in Dutch media
- AD — „bolotana sardinië”
- de Volkskrant — „bolotana sardinië”
- RTL Nieuws — „bolotana sardinië”