In the depths of the Amazon rainforest, the Tsimane community thrives, living in harmony with nature in a way that seems almost untouched by time. Among them is Martina Canchi Nate, whose vigor and strength defy the years stated on her ID card. At 84, she moves through the Bolivian jungle with the grace and energy of someone decades younger. With ease, she digs up yucca trees, slices down plantains, and carries a hefty load of fruit on her back, making her way home from her chaco—the patch of land where she cultivates cassava, corn, plantains, and rice.
Martina is just one of the 16,000 Tsimanes (pronounced “chee-may-nay”) who live deep in the Amazon, about 600km north of La Paz, Bolivia’s largest city. Their vitality is not an anomaly within this community. Scientists have observed that the Tsimanes have the healthiest arteries ever studied, and their brains age more slowly than those in North America, Europe, and other parts of the world.
The Tsimane Community: A Life of Subsistence
The Tsimanes are a semi-nomadic indigenous group, one of the last peoples on Earth to live a fully subsistence lifestyle. They hunt, forage, and farm to meet their daily needs. This lifestyle keeps them constantly active—whether they’re hunting animals, planting crops, or weaving roofs. Unlike industrialized populations, where sedentary activities dominate over half of the daylight hours, less than 10% of the Tsimanes’ time is spent sitting or resting.
Juan, another member of the Tsimane community, embodies this active lifestyle. His hunts often last more than eight hours and cover 18km. He prepares meticulously for these hunts, knowing that his survival depends on his ability to find food in the dense jungle.
The Tsimanes live along the Maniqui River, about 100km by boat from the nearest town. Their isolation has shielded them from many of the modern world’s influences, including processed foods, alcohol, and cigarettes. The simplicity of their diet plays a crucial role in their remarkable health.
The Tsimane Diet: A Key to Longevity
The Tsimanes’ diet is high in fiber and low in fat. Only 14% of their calorie intake comes from fat, compared to 34% in the United States. Their foods are rich in carbohydrates, which comprise 72% of their diet, compared to 52% in the US. Protein comes from the animals they hunt—birds, monkeys, and fish—ensuring a nutritious and sustainable diet. Traditional cooking methods avoid frying, preserving the natural qualities of their food.
This diet is markedly different from the typical Western diet, which is often high in processed foods and unhealthy fats. The Tsimanes’ food choices and their physically demanding lifestyle contribute to their extraordinary health and longevity.
Scientific Discoveries: Health and Aging Among the Tsimanes
Two decades ago, anthropologist Hillard Kaplan of the University of New Mexico, alongside Michael Gurven of the University of California, Santa Barbara, began studying the Tsimane community. They initially focused on the anthropological aspects of Tsimane’s life but soon noticed something extraordinary: the elderly Tsimanes showed few signs of common age-related diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, or heart problems.
Their curiosity led them to collaborate with cardiologist Randall C. Thompson, who had been studying the arteries of ancient mummies. In 2013, Thompson and his team discovered that atherosclerosis—commonly considered a modern disease—was present in mummies from ancient civilizations like the Egyptians and Incas. This finding suggested that artery hardening could be influenced by factors other than just modern lifestyles.
Building on this discovery, Kaplan and Gurven’s team conducted CT scans on 705 Tsimanes over 40, searching for coronary artery calcium (CAC), a marker of clogged arteries and potential heart disease. Their study, published in The Lancet in 2017, revealed that 65% of the Tsimanes over 75 had no CAC. In stark contrast, 80% of Americans of the same age had signs of CAC.
Kaplan summarized these findings succinctly: “A 75-year-old Tsimane’s arteries are more like a 50-year-old American’s arteries.” Further research published in 2023 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science found that elderly Tsimanes exhibited up to 70% less brain atrophy than in industrialized countries like the UK, Japan, and the US. Remarkably, not a single case of Alzheimer’s disease was found among the Tsimane population.
