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A study using civil and parish records found that women in Bolotana, Sardinia, had estimated survival from age 70 to 100 more than three times the comparison rates for the province, region and Italy in 2021–2025. The researchers describe the village as a possible longevity hotspot, not an established blue zone, because estimates varied across time periods and the comparisons were descriptive rather than formal statistical tests.
A study of validated records from Bolotana, a mountain village in Sardinia, found that women’s estimated chance of surviving from age 70 to 100 during 2021–2025 was more than three times the comparison rates for Sardinia, Nuoro Province and Italy. The researchers said the results make Bolotana a candidate for further study as a longevity hotspot, but do not establish it as a new blue zone.
Published in Frontiers in Aging, the study examined civil and parish records to assess late-life survival in a community of about 2,266 residents on average during the study period. The analysis included 149 deaths among residents aged 70 and older, across 3,138 person-years of observation. Researchers independently checked 97% of recorded centenarian deaths against parish archives; civil birth documentation was available for every identified centenarian.
For women in Bolotana, estimated remaining life expectancy at age 70 was 20.85 years. The comparable figures were 18.61 years in Nuoro Province, 18.40 in Sardinia and 18.06 nationally. The estimate for women’s survival from age 70 to 100 was 13.83%, compared with 4.33% in Nuoro, 4.43% in Sardinia and 3.54% across Italy.
The team also examined 3,060 people born in Bolotana from 1900 to 1925, including people who later moved away, using a separate cohort-based measure of extreme longevity. The reported findings center on women; the available source material does not provide corresponding detailed male results. Comparisons with other populations were descriptive, and the study did not run formal statistical tests of the differences.
A Possible Hotspot Outside the Core
The findings draw attention to a small community outside Sardinia’s historically recognized longevity area and show why researchers may need to look beyond established geographic boundaries. A verified local pattern could help guide future research into how survival at advanced ages varies between neighboring places and across generations.
But the estimates describe population outcomes, not the reasons behind them. The study does not show that any particular diet, lifestyle, gene or local practice caused Bolotana women’s survival advantage. Its results are a demographic signal to investigate, rather than evidence that residents have a specific longevity advantage from any one factor.
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How Bolotana Compares With Sardinia
Sardinia’s established blue zone has historically referred to 14 mountain municipalities in the provinces of Nuoro and Ogliastra. Bolotana lies about 110 kilometers from that area. Blue zones are generally described as places with unusually favorable late-life survival and a high frequency of people who reach 100.
Claims of exceptional longevity require reliable age records, since inaccurate ages can distort comparisons. For this study, researchers cross-checked civil documentation against parish baptism and burial records. They also tested different calendar periods and mortality assumptions, reflecting the possibility that estimates can shift depending on the years examined.
The paper’s authors included researchers from Sardinian institutions and US universities. The study disclosed that coauthor Dan Buettner owns Blue Zones, Inc., and that S. Jay Olshansky received consulting compensation related to a proposed Blue Zone Research Institute.
“Bolotana is a promising blue-zone candidate rather than an established longevity hotspot.”
— Study authors
Why the Estimates May Change
The estimated advantage varied substantially when researchers analyzed different calendar windows, including 2020–2025 and 2015–2019. That variability makes it unclear whether the 2021–2025 result represents a persistent local pattern or a period-specific estimate. The study used simulations and alternative assumptions to assess uncertainty, but did not conduct formal statistical tests comparing Bolotana with the regional and national populations.
The source material also does not establish what may account for the women’s estimated survival, whether the pattern will continue, or whether men in Bolotana show a similar result. A label such as “blue zone” would require evidence that exceptional survival is robust and sustained, not just an unusually favorable estimate for one analysis period.
Further Records and Replication
The immediate next step is for researchers to test whether the pattern holds across additional years and independent demographic analyses. The study does not announce a follow-up timetable. Continued validation of records and comparison across birth cohorts could help determine whether Bolotana’s results reflect a lasting population pattern or fluctuations in a small community.
Until such evidence is available, Bolotana is best described as a candidate for further longevity research. The published findings do not change the definition of Sardinia’s established blue zone or confirm a new one.
Key Questions
Where is Bolotana?
Bolotana is a small mountain village in central Sardinia, about 110 kilometers from the island’s historically recognized blue-zone municipalities.
What did the study find about women?
For 2021–2025, women’s estimated survival from age 70 to 100 in Bolotana was 13.83%, compared with 3.54% nationally. The study also estimated 20.85 remaining years of life at age 70 for Bolotana women.
Has Bolotana been confirmed as a blue zone?
No. The researchers described it as a promising candidate. The estimates varied across time periods, and the study did not formally test whether differences from comparison populations were statistically significant.
How did researchers check ages?
They compared civil records with historical parish baptism and burial records. Civil birth documentation was available for each identified centenarian, and researchers checked 97% of recorded centenarian deaths against parish archives.
Does the study explain why women survived longer?
No cause was established. The study assessed demographic survival patterns; it did not show that a particular lifestyle, diet or other factor produced the estimates.
Source: news-medical.net
