Dan Buettner

Dan Buettner (born June 18, 1960) is an American writer, cookbook author, explorer, storyteller, longevity researcher and public speaker, best known for his research on the Blue Zones. He co-produced and hosted the three-time Emmy Award winning Netflix series Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones (2023), holds three Guinness records for distance cycling, is the founder of Blue Zones, LLC, and is a National Geographic Fellow.

Buettner is a promoter of predominantly plant-based diets, and has authored numerous books on the subject. He has described his own diet as "98% plant-based".

Buettner was born on June 18, 1960, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Buettner graduated with a BA in Spanish and Literature from the University of St. Thomas in 1983.

Soon thereafter he went to work for The Washington Post columnist Remar Sutton. Later he took a job with National Public Radio in Washington, D.C., to recruit celebrity participation in a fund-raising croquet tournament with journalist George Plimpton of Paris Review.

In 1986, Buettner launched the first of several Guinness World Records for transcontinental cycling. "Americastrek" traversed 15,536 miles (25,003 km), from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Tierra del Fuego, Argentina; the 1990 "Sovietrek", during which Dan was joined by his brother Steve, followed the 45th parallel around the world and covered 12,888 miles (20,741 km), as Buettner recounted the trip in his book Sovietrek. In 1992, in "Africatrek", the Buettner brothers team-cycled from Bizerte, Tunisia, to Cape Agulhas, South Africa, with cyclist Dr. Chip Thomas, covering 11,885 miles (19,127 km) over eight months.

When Buettner realized that adults were also following his expeditions, he approached National Geographic with the idea to research longevity hotspots and was given support to move forward. He then met with Robert Kane, the Director, Center on Aging, at the University of Minnesota, who introduced him to demographers and scientists at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) in Washington, D.C. Buettner was awarded a grant from the National Institute of Aging. Previous research identified the longevity hotspots of Sardinia, Okinawa, and Loma Linda.

In 2003, Buettner began leading trips to these destinations while collaborating with a variety of experts, including anthropologists, historians, dietitians, and geneticists. His early trips focused on Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Monterrey, Nuevo Leon; and then Loma Linda, California.

Buettner reported on communities with increased longevity, identified as a blue zone, in his cover story for National Geographic Magazine's November 2005 edition, "Secrets of Long Life."