The Surprising Link Between Mountains and Living Longer in Hechi, China
Hechi City, ChinaThursday, January 2, 2025
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In the south of China, there's a special place called Hechi. It's not just any city; it's known as "the world's longevity city. " Why? Because it has the highest number of centenarians in Guangxi Province, and Guangxi has one of the highest centenarian ratios in all of China. You might be thinking, "What makes this place so special? " Well, it turns out the answer might be hiding in the mountains.
Scientists studied Hechi's geographical environment and found some interesting links. They looked at how the physical features of the land, like the mountains and soil, might be connected to people living longer. They used some fancy tools, like the geographical information system and eXtreme Gradient Boosting machine learning methods, to help them understand this better.
What they found was really cool. The centenarians in Hechi seem to live in specific areas. These areas have low mountains with medium slopes, and the soil is something called brown calcareous soil. But here's something weird: these super-agers aren't found near places where non-ferrous minerals are mined.
So, what does this all mean? It could be that the land itself is helping people live longer. Maybe the type of soil, the layout of the mountains, or just the overall environment is giving these people a boost. This study is important because it gives us clues about how the environment can affect how long we live. And who knows? Maybe one day, we'll all be living in places that help us live longer, healthier lives.
