Want to live longer? Blue Zone research points to these 5 daily habits

See the original article with my (Dr. Mark Mitchnick) thoughts included here on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

People in blue zones (like Sardinia or Okinawa) spend a lot of time outdoors as part of their daily routine. From a doctor’s perspective, how important is it to pair that intentional outdoor time with sun protection?

There are a number of lifestyle traits associated with blue zones, and I think sunlight, being outside, is embedded in these fundamental behaviors. Blue zone or not, there are a host of benefits to being outside, both mental and physical. Some of them are mediated through the skin, some through the eyes. Some of them involve ultraviolet light, some visible, and some infrared, so they really cover the whole spectrum, so to speak. In this context, it’s worth knowing this because sunscreens are designed to protect the skin from a very specific portion of the sun’s spectrum, ultraviolet rays.

We (me as a doc and burnd as a company) strongly encourage folks to get outside as much as possible and to be smart about it. What does that mean? It’s not complicated, get out, wear a hat and a good sunscreen when needed - period. And how important is the sunscreen part? In our view, it’s important if you are going to be out for extended periods. If you’re out for a 30 minute walk at 8 am, most of us don’t need sunscreen and there is a legit argument that it’s not even a good idea. Same goes for later in the day. On the other hand, if you’re surfing in Costa Rica at noon, yeah, you should be covered.

The evidence is overwhelming that cumulative ultraviolet exposure is a major driver of skin cancer. It’s also clear that most of the changes we think of as “skin aging” - wrinkles, rough texture, broken capillaries, discoloration - are largely caused by UV. Those facts are real. But those same facts should not be twisted into “never go in the sun.” That’s just as wrong. We need to be outside, we were built for it, and the sun is literally part of our biology. To make this actionable:

• Short, non-burning exposure at lower intensity times of day is usually fine without sunscreen for most healthy people.

• Longer or repeated exposure, especially between about 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., on reflective surfaces (water, snow, sand), at high altitude, or closer to the equator is where sunscreen plus a hat and clothing are critical.

• If you burn easily for any reason, have a personal or family history of skin cancer, are on medications that make you sun sensitive, or are just hyper about dying wrinkle free, then use sunscreen more liberally.

Why is mineral sunscreen, and zinc oxide in particular, a better choice for someone who’s outside regularly?

It’s not that simple, and I don’t agree mineral is automatically a “better” choice. By way of background, and at the risk of being obnoxious, I literally invented the use of “transparent” zinc oxide in sunscreens. I mention that because no one is a bigger fan of zinc oxide than me.

See my patent with Dr. Kim Mitchell for Visibly transparent UV sunblock agents and methods of making same.

Having said that, the best sunscreen is the one you’ll actually use. A sunscreen that isn’t applied has an SPF of exactly zero. So if you can find a pure zinc oxide (ZnO) product that’s high SPF and that you enjoy using, then yes, it’s a great choice and arguably the best. But ZnO can’t be all things to all people. Even when it’s really well formulated, it’s hard to get much more than about 10–12% into a formula without a visible white cast, especially on darker skin. That amount of ZnO typically gives you an SPF in the mid teens to low 20s. If you see products claiming, for example, 11% ZnO with an SPF of 30 or 50, something is off. Either the test wasn’t great, or they snuck in “boosters” - chemicals that behave exactly like organic filters but don’t have to be listed as sunscreens on the label.

If you want a high SPF product with ZnO that is elegant, without hidden sunscreens and not whitening, the best way - maybe the only practical way - is to combine it with the organic (misleadingly also called “chemical”) filters. By combining mineral and organic actives, we can make really superior products: elegant, broad spectrum, water resistant, and more effective in the real world because people actually like wearing them.

The exception to this is tinted sunscreens. Once you add color (iron oxides), you can hide a lot of the whiteness. burnd, for example, will be launching a high SPF product based only on ZnO using exactly this strategy.

So short answer: ZnO is a tremendous sunscreen ingredient that can be used on its own or in combination with organic filters. Mineral isn’t “better” by default; the best choice for you is the one you’ll happily wear.

Blue zone lifestyles often involve multi-generational activity outdoors. How early should families be thinking about sun protection, and what should they look for in a product?

Really good question and, as a pediatrician, one I get asked a lot. Families/parents should be thinking about sun protection from day one. Infants are “easy”: just keep them out of direct sunlight for extended periods. No need to be nuts about it, but don’t let 1 month old Junior sit in direct midday sun for an hour, that’s not good at any level.

The general advice from professional groups is to avoid direct sun exposure until about 6 months and then gradually allow it. I don’t think there’s anything magical about 6 months versus 5 or 7, but it certainly feels sensible. This does not mean the baby should be locked in the basement. They absolutely should get outside, just rely on shade and clothing to keep them from getting too much sun. By the way, legally every sunscreen label has to say something like “for children under 6 months of age, ask your doctor.” This is not because anyone thinks the sunscreen itself is harmful, it’s because the FDA didn’t want to encourage direct sun exposure in very young infants, which makes sense.

Once a lot of sun exposure comes into the picture, the same advice I give adults applies to their kids. Off peak sun exposure for a bit is not a big deal and is probably quite a good thing. It’s certainly what I did with our son. If they’re out for extended periods, then use a good broad spectrum sunscreen from a manufacturer you trust. “Broad spectrum” means it has to protect against both UVB (the main burning rays) and UVA (the deeper penetrating rays that drive aging and also contribute to skin cancer), and it has to pass a standardized test to put that on the label. If the kids are being active, and hopefully they are and are sweating or in the water, make sure it’s a water resistant formulation. In the U.S., the most any of us can claim is “water resistant 80 minutes.” Our product might last longer, but we can’t put that on the label, so here, honest reviews and your own experience can be useful.

As for the mineral vs. organic question, the answer is also the same: buy what you can get your kid(s) to use. Practically, it’s great if you can all use the same product - it just makes it easier to actually have it on hand when everyone heads outside together.

And since Blue Zone lifestyles emphasize multi-generational outdoor time, it’s worth thinking about multi-generational protection habits too. We humans are creatures of habit, and kids pick up their habits from us. If we don’t use sunscreen, don’t wear hats, and are generally oblivious to the sun, those are the habits our kids will learn. One of the best things we can do for our kids is to model the right habits that they can naturally imitate.

Sun damage is cumulative. How significant a role does daily UV protection play in skin aging and overall health as we think about longevity?

Here it’s important to remind ourselves that a lot of the sun’s benefits are mediated by wavelengths other than UV. Visible light via our eyes clicks off a number of cascades critical to sleep, mood, and metabolism. Incredibly, infrared light penetrates our skin and directly interacts with blood vessels and mitochondria. The sun is quite literally baked into our biology. UV famously is integral to vitamin D metabolism. So sunlight in general, and UV as part of that, is key to our mental and physical health.

I do think it gets pretty messy trying to tease out a clean causal relationship between sun and longevity or lifespan. It’s probably easier to talk about healthspan, but I’m not sure that it’s worth it because it can set up a false choice, sun or no sun. The facts are simple: some sun exposure is necessary for our well-being on a number of levels, cumulative sun exposure is linked with a meaningful increase in skin cancer risk, and UV is the primary driver of visible signs of aging. But it’s not a zero sum game. Our choice is not “no sun” or “too much sun,” it’s “how much sun,” and we are in pretty good control of that.

Each of us has to decide what’s important. If being wrinkle free into your 40s and beyond is at the top of your list, then daily UV protection is your only choice. You need to use sunscreen religiously, have a few good hats, and avoid mid day sun starting early in life. If golfing is your greatest joy, know that golfers have around a four times higher risk of skin cancer and act appropriately. Don’t stop golfing - but for God’s sake, use a good sunscreen. Why wouldn’t you?

For most of us, my view is that we should be outside as much as possible and avoid damaging amounts of UV by intelligent use of hats, sunscreen, clothing, and the occasional tree. In terms of lifespan or healthspan, the other Blue Zone fundamentals - how you move, eat, sleep, connect, and find purpose - are probably a lot more important than cumulative UV as a single variable. But UV comes along for the ride with those other healthy habits, so it’s hard to separate out.

The biology behind your question is complex and clearly not fully worked out in 2026. But that shouldn’t get in the way of making good decisions or, at the very least, not making bad ones. We don’t fully understand every detail of diet and the gut microbiome, yet we do know a Mediterranean style diet is better than a highly processed one, so why wouldn’t you just use that instead of, as some do, dismissing it because there are edge cases that don’t fit? Same idea with sun care. There are clearly a few good sun habits and just as clearly a few bad ones. Our take is get outside, enjoy yourself, be as active as your body allows, wear a hat and use a good sunscreen.