LOMA LINDA, Calif. — A Blue Zone is a region where people live exceptionally long lives. One such zone is in Southern California, in the City of Loma Linda.

LA Times Golden State columnist Steve Lopez and photographer Genaro Molina went to Loma Linda to see for themselves what provides residents this longevity. And, they say, it’s not just pickle ball.

Lopez joined Lisa McRee on “LA Times Today.”

Lopez explained why Loma Linda is grouped with other places like Sardinia, or Okinawa, Japan, as a Blue Zone. 

“The secret to longevity there is that the people who are at the center of this study are Seventh-Day Adventists. As Seventh-Day Adventists, they have a very strong sense of faith and community volunteerism. They’re very, very health conscious. They watch their diets, they exercise, and they help each other out. They pray together on the Sabbath, which for them is Saturday. And they’re living five, six, seven years longer than other folks,” he said.

Lopez shared a story of meeting a family at the store in Loma Linda and noticing how welcoming and warm they were.

“We meet the Perez family. They are very involved in their church and they play the saxophones together. And we said, ‘do you have them with you?’ And they said, ‘no, but we live nearby. Why don’t you come on over?’ We went to their house, and they played the saxophone for us. They played hymns. I’m not sure how many places in LA there are where that would happen where somebody would just invite strangers into their home like that,” Lopez recalled.  

Volunteerism is a major part of life for Loma Linda’s Seventh-Day Adventist community as well, which Lopez said gives residents a sense of purpose in their days.

The Blue Zone phenomenon is the centerpiece of a new Netflix documentary. Lopez talked about whether the research is sound, and if it’s possible to show a correlation between Blue Zone lifestyles and longer lifespans. 

“There are some scientists, a small number, who question how much research is behind this. How much of it is just anecdotal, and whether you can really make a correlation between being a vegetarian and living to 95. But I think it’s hard to contest much of [it]. A healthy lifestyle, exercise, community. It’ll do you well,” Lopez said.

Click the arrow above to watch the full interview.

Watch “LA Times Today” at 7 and 10 p.m. Monday through Friday on Spectrum News 1 and the Spectrum News app.