An article published by the Daily Mail raised questions about the veracity of the research that led to the identification of the Blue Zones in Sardinia, the areas characterized by a high concentration of centenarians. Statements by Australian researcher Saul Newman, who called the data behind the research “statistically inconsistent,” provoked a reaction from leading scholars in the field, including Dr. Giovanni Pes of the University of Sassari, a pioneer in the study of Sardinian longevity.

Dr. Pes is recognized as the discoverer of Blue Zones, a term he introduced in the late 1990s to identify certain areas of Sardinia with extraordinary longevity rates. “In 1998, at a demography conference in Montpellier, I first presented data showing an area with an unprecedented concentration of centenarians. I used a blue marker to mark these areas on maps, and that’s where the term Blue Zone came from,” Pes recalls.

Convincing the scientific community of the validity of his data, however, was not easy: “It took over a decade to prove that our research was solid and based on rigorous methods. Today, after decades of study, we can say with certainty that the data is irrefutably documented, thanks to ecclesiastical and municipal records dating back as far as the 16th century.”

Saul Newman’s claims, which speculate inaccuracies in biographical data and the invention of some birth dates, are firmly rejected by Dr. Pes. “The allegations are completely unfounded. The data on Sardinian centenarians have been verified with rigorous criteria and internationally recognized scientific methods. Our research is based on historical documents and meticulous work carried out together with local demographic offices and municipal administrations,” Pes stressed.

Among the data challenged by Newman would be an abnormal concentration of centenarians born in January, pointed to as evidence of manipulated data. Pes debunks this accusation point by point: “If we analyze the fourteen Sardinian supercentenarians (those over 110 years old), the distribution of births is perfectly normal: three were born in January, one in February, one in May, and so on. Moreover, our method provides for additional checks to identify any discrepancies in the data, and in 25 years we have found only one case of error, due to a mix-up.”

Pes also points out Newman’s lack of direct approach: “It is surprising that a researcher would allow himself to discredit our work without ever having visited Sardinia or consulted our studies. Sardinian longevity research is the result of decades of fieldwork, access to historical records and collaborations with local experts.”

Blue Zones represent an asset not only for Sardinia but for the global scientific community. Studies conducted by Dr. Pes have led to the certification of several Sardinian municipalities-including Arzana, Villagrande, Baunei, Seulo, and Talana-as places symbolic of longevity.

Recent criticism, although unfounded, demonstrates the importance of protecting the work of those who, with scientific rigor, contribute to understanding the secrets of longevity. “Sardinian longevity is not a myth,” Pes concludes, “but a fact that tells an extraordinary story of health, tradition and resilience.