Journal of Life Sciences & Biomedicine, vol. 3(76), No 2, p.

77-80 (2021)

Geography of population longevity hotspots in Azerbaijan

U.F. Hashimova

Academiciaan Abdulla Garayev Institute of Physiology, Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, 78

Sharifzadeh Str., Baku AZ 1100, Azerbaijan
For correspondence: ulduz.hashimova@science.az

Received: October 18, 2021; Received in revised form: October 21, 2021; Accepted: October 25, 2021

Abstract: The global aging of the world's population and the increase of the share of older age cat-
egories in its structure, which has become one of the distinctive features of the demographic trans-
formation of the modern world, has aroused the ever-growing interest of researchers of various
profiles in gerontological problems. The study of the phenomenon of the group or population lon-
gevity, which is noted in some regions of the world, called "blue zones", has acquired particular
importance. The data of complex biomedical studies of populations with an increased longevity in-
dex carried out on the territory of Azerbaijan since the end of the last century indicate the potential
of some regions of the country to obtain the status of a "blue zone". The study of the geography of
the longevity spread among the indigenous population of the country reveals the presence of "natu-
ral" centers of longevity in certain regions, in particular in Karabakh, where, thanks to a rare
combination of favorable natural-ecological and social conditions, the indigenous population has
historically emerged and consolidated, i.e. an increased concentration of long-lived people has been
traced for quite a long time. The article provides a map of the distribution of such centers of lon-
gevity in Azerbaijan and discusses the compliance of some regions, in particular Karabakh, with
the criteria of the "blue zone".

Keywords: Human ageing, demographic transformation, population longevity, blue zones, Karabakh

INTRODUCTION search on so-called Blue Zones, in which, as

shown in many studies, people live exceptional
According to UN forecast, the world popula- longer and healthier lives than average, is of par-
tion will increase by 40% in the next 40 years. But amount importance. The findings of these studies
the nature of this increase will be fundamentally widen the existing knowledge on the nature of
different from what humankind has experienced in human ageing as well as on how and to what ex-
the past, due to two global trends: declining birth tent all the socioeconomic, behavioral, environ-
rate and increasing average life expectancy, that fea- mental, and genetic factors individually, jointly,
ture the demographic make-up of the modern world and interactively contribute to exceptionally long
(Sharman, 2011). In other words, the world’s popu- and healthy lives. Therefore, for the last few dec-
lation will not grow because of the high birthrate, as ades, the phenomenon of Blue Zones has been
it always did previously, but mainly as a result of attracting increasing attention from gerontologists
increased numbers of older people. In the near fu- and specialists of related disciplines (Poulain et
ture, the number of people aged 80 and over will be al., 2013).
about the same as the population of children under 5 In general, the BZ population is characterized
years (Anbdrews, 2002). by a significantly higher level of longevity com-
One inevitable consequence of population pared to the neighboring regions, provided that the
ageing is an undesirable rise in the proportion of exceptional longevity of people in this population
those suffering from age-related disease and disa- has been fully validated. In practice, a blue zone is
bility. In this regard, the multidisciplinary re- defined as a rather limited and homogenous geo-

http://dx.doi.org/10.29228/jlsb.24 77
Available online 30 December 2021
U.F. Hashimova

graphical area where the population shares the same ageing studies since the first epidemiological sur-
lifestyle and environment and its longevity has been vey in 1986 which was carried out by the interna-
proved to be exceptionally high. A number of stud- tional team of experts from the Institute of Physi-
ies have shown that the BZs exist in different parts ology, Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences,
of the world including the South of Europe (Italy, jointly with the Kiev Institute of Gerontology
Greece), Latin America (Costa-Rica), Japan (Oki- (Ukraine), the Research Institute for Human Stud-
nawa), USA (Loma-Linda California) (Poulain et ies (USA) and the Institute of Ethnology, Russia.
al., 2013). It was found that among the aboriginal population
A high concentration of the long-lived is ob- of Azerbaijan there has naturally-historically
served in the Caucasus countries including Azer- emerged and been fixed the high concentration of
baijan (Козлов, Комарова, 1982). A number of people representing maximal species-specific
studies by gerontologists mostly from the former lifespan (Kuznetsova et al., 2016). Those findings
Soviet Union's scientific community have found opened up the unique possibilities for the multi-
that with the longevity indices reaching up to 20- disciplinary study of complex medical-biological
50 ‰ in some areas Azerbaijan can be considered and social-cultural factors underlying the for-
as one of the world’s longevity hotspots. The in- mation of the ‘longevity phenomenon’ at the pop-
dividual longevity records have been reported in ulation level which was launched in 2015 when a
the country as well (Козлов, 1989). Availability dedicated academic programme was developed by
of such unique human resources opens up unique the Garayev Institute of Physiology of NANA
prospects for multidisciplinary research both on aimed at a comprehensive study of populations
the individual and the population longevity as a with the elevated longevity indices (Гашимова и
complex biomedical and psycho-social phenome- др., 2019; Рашидова и др., 2019; Carbone et al.,
non. It is not surprising that Azerbaijan has been 2020; Rashidova et al., 2020).
in the focus of the specialists engaged in human

Fig. 1. Geography of Longevity in Azerbaijan

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 Geography of population longevity hotspots in Azerbaijan

One of the major findings of this programme ности функционального состояния мозга
is associated with the geography of longevity in долгожителей и их родственников. Успехи
the country. It was shown that even though the геронтологии, 32(3): 383-389.
cases of age 90+ are reported for in various areas Козлов В.И. (1989) Об изучении долгожи-
of Azerbaijan, the regions of their particularly тельства в Азербайджане. Долгожительство
high concentration are distributed unevenly. Spe- в Азербайджане. Moсква: Наука, c. 5-15
cifically, the highest concentration of long-living Рашидова А.М., Гашимова У.Ф., Кадимова
people is characteristic for the Karabakh region, З.М. (2019) Исследование активности фер-
particularly for the Shusha and Khojavend dis- ментов энергообмена и состояния сердечно –
tricts, where the longevity index (share of those at сосудистой системы у лиц пожилого и стар-
age of 90+ in the total population aged 60+) is ческого возраста. Успехи геронтологии,
reaching up to 50-54 ‰ (Fig. 1). The comparison 32(4): 572-580.
of our findings with the data available in the liter- Козлов В., Комарова О. (1982) География
ature regarding the geography of longevity долгожительства в СССР. Феномен долгожи-
hotspots in the Caucasus has revealed that in those тельства. Москва: Наука, c. 30-46.
areas the highest longevity indices have been re- Andrews G. (2002) Statement. Second UN World
ported since 1926, indicating that in this moun- Assembly on Ageing. Madrid, Spain, 8-10 April,
tainous area the longevity phenomenon has natu- 2002. http://www.valenciaforum.com/una.html.
rally-historically emerged and been fixed for gen- Carbone A., Linkova N, Polyakova V.,
erations (Козлов В., Комарова О., 1982). One Mironova E., Hashimova U., Gadzhiev A.,
more striking point is that in the latest census data Safikhanova Kh., Kvetnaia T., Krylova J.,
of 2016 that were used in our demographic elabo- Tarquini R., Mazzoccoli G., Kvetnoy I. (2020)
rations, the populations of Shusha and other Melatonin and sirtuins in buccal epithelium: Po-
Karabakh settlements were registered not in their tential biomarkers of aging and age-related pa-
historical land of residence, but in the places of thologies. International Journal of Molecular
their temporary residence. It appears that despite Sciences, 21: 8134; doi:10.3390/ijms21218134
nearly 30 years of life in completely different so- Kuznetsova S.M. et al. (2016) Mechanisms of
cial-environmental settings, those people have longevity phenomenon in Azerbaijan. Journal of
managed to preserve the biological potential en- Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, 2: 011;
suring better adaptation to physical and social en- doi: 10.24966/GGM-8662/100011.
vironments and longer life. Poulain M., Herm A., Pes G. (2013) The Blue
At present, new surveys are under develop- Zone: areas of exceptional longevity. Vienna
ment in a comparative way for the areas in the Yearbook of Population Research, 11: 87–108.
country with elevated longevity indices, involving Rashidova A.M., Hashimova U.F., Gadimova
biomedical and environmental aspects. A com- Z.M. (2020) Study of energy-metabolism en-
prehensive approach is being considered, favoring zymes and the state of the cardiovascular system
the analysis of numerous biomedical, social and in elderly and senile-aged patients. Advances in
environmental factors that could have interacted Gerontology, 10: 86–93.
to result in exceptional longevity hotspots. Sharman A. (2011) Demographic transforma-
tions, Perspectives on Longevity, and Challeng-
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ageing and antiaging processes. Eds: A.Shar-
Гашимова У.А., Аллахвердиев А.Р., Байра- man and Z.Zhumadilov. New-York: 1-10
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U.F. Hashimova

Azərbaycanda uzunömürlülüyün yayılma coğrafiyası

U.F. Həşimova

AMEA-nın Akademik Abdulla Qarayev adına Fiziologiya İnstitutu, Bakı, Azərbaycan

Müasir dünyanın demoqrafik transformasiyasının səciyyəvi xüsusiyyətlərindən biri olan dünya əhalisinin
qlobal şəkildə yaşlanması və bu strukturda yaşlı nəsil kateqoriyasının payının artması müxtəlif profilli
tədqiqatçıların herontoloji problemlərə getdikcə artan marağına səbəb olmuşdur. Dünyanın bəzi bölgələ-
rində "mavi zonalar" kimi qeyd olunan qrup və ya populyasiya uzunömürlülüyü fenomeninin öyrənilməsi
xüsusi əhəmiyyət kəsb edir. Azərbaycan ərazisində yüksək uzunömürlülük indeksinə malik olan populya-
siyalarda ötən əsrin sonlarından başlayaraq kompleks şəkildə aparılan biotibbi tədqiqatların nəticələrinə
əsasən demək olar ki, ölkənin bəzi bölgələri “mavi zona” statusunu almaq potensialına malikdirlər. Belə
ki, yerli əhali arasında uzunömürlülüyün yayılma coğrafiyasının tədqiqi ölkənin ayrı-ayrı bölgələrində
"təbii" uzunömürlülük ocaqlarının olduğunu aşkara çıxarmışdır. Xüsusilə də Qarabağda, əlverişli təbii-
ekoloji və sosial şəraitin nadir birləşməsi sayəsində yerli əhali arasında uzunömürlülüyün geniş yayılması
təbii-tarixi olaraq yaranmış və möhkəmlənmişdir, yəni bu kifayət qədər uzun müddət ərzində izlənilmiş-
dir. Məqalədə Azərbaycanda bu cür uzunömürlülük mərkəzlərinin yayılma xəritəsi verilir və bəzi bölgələ-
rin, o cümlədən Qarabağın “mavi zona” meyarlarına uyğunluğu müzakirə edilir.

Açar sözlər: İnsanın qocalması, demoqrafik transformasiya, populyasion uzunömürlük, mavi zonalar,
Qarabağ

География распределения очагов долгожительства в Азербайджане

У.Ф. Гашимова

Институт физиологии им. академика Абдуллы Гараева НАН Азербайджана,

Баку, Азербайджан

Глобальное старение населения планеты и увеличение в его структуре доли старших возрастных
категорий, ставшее одной из отличительных особенностей демографической трансформации со-
временного мира, вызвало всевозрастающий интерес исследователей разного профиля к геронто-
логической проблематике. Особое значение приобрело изучение феномена группового или попу-
ляционного долгожительства, который отмечается в некоторых регионах мира, получивших
название «голубых зон». Данные комплексных медико-биологических исследований популяций с
повышенным индексом долгожительства, проведенных на территории Азербайджана, начиная с
конца прошлого века, свидетельствуют о потенциале некоторых районов страны для получения
статуса «голубой зоны». В частности, изучение географии распространения долгожительства сре-
ди коренного населения страны выявляет присутствие «естественных» очагов долгожительства в
отдельных районах, в частности в Карабахе, где, благодаря редкой комбинации благоприятных
природно-экологических и социальных условий, у коренного населения естественно-исторически
возникла и закрепилась (т.е. тенденция прослеживается в течение довольно длительного времени)
повышенная концентрация долголетних людей. В статье приводится карта распределения таких
очагов долгожительства в Азербайджане и обсуждается соответствие некоторых районов, в част-
ности Карабаха, к критериям «голубой зоны».

Ключевые слова: Старение человека, демографическая трансформация, популяционное долго-

жительство, голубые зоны, Карабах

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