Tsimané People Of Bolivia Have Very Low Risk Of Getting Heart Diseases, Study Says; How Do They Do It?

A recent study found that the Tsimané people who live on the banks of a tributary of Amazon River in Bolivia have the healthiest heart in the world. They eat mostly staple food including plantains, home-grown rice, and corn. They usually walk, canoe or ride the bike and not use any other means of transportation. When they want meat, they catch it and don't watch television.

The study published in Lancet medical journal says that an 80-year-old Tsimané guy has a similar vascular age of an American at his 50s. They follow a lifestyle of high carbohydrate diet with the small amount of fish or meat plus around 6 hours of workout making them the people with healthiest hearts. Interestingly, they live in thatched huts with no modern amenities including electricity. They do hunting and walk daily up to 8 hours and covering an area of at least 18 kilometers to hunt for monkeys, wild deer, etc. They also clear large areas of primary forests using an axe.

The researchers who investigated the arteries and veins of the Tsimané advised that there are lessons from the tribe's lifestyle for everyone. It points out that coronary atherosclerosis, a condition of hardening the arteries, can be avoided if people are adopting some of the Tsimané lifestyles. It involved keeping blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and blood sugar low and physically being active without smoking. "Most of them are not facing any coronary atherosclerosis in their lifetime," said Dr. Gregory Thomas from Long Beach Memorial Medical Center.

The researchers took the data of 705 Tsimané people to conduct the study and found that nine out of 10 Tsimané adults did not show any risks of heart disease. A 13 percent of the population showed a low risk of heart disease, and only 20 people exhibited moderate or high risk of heart disease, which comprise just 3 percent of the people.