Tribes with strange health abilities

The Kalenjin tribe in Kenya are the best marathon runners in the world

According toListverse, the Kalenjin tribe have small ankles and calves, and a slender build. This is a favorable factor for running marathons. According to researchers, one can predict the winner of a marathon by checking which contestant has the smallest ankles.

The physical characteristics of the Kalenjin people are thought to be due to their starchy diet, geographical location, and socioeconomic factors. Genetic factors are also involved.

The Bajau people can dive underwater for long periods of time.

The Bajau people of Indonesia are known as sea nomads because of their ability to stay underwater for several minutes without any equipment. The most experienced divers can stay underwater for 13 minutes. Researchers from the University of Cambridge believe that the Bajau's bodies are adapted to diving. Their spleens are larger than normal, allowing oxygen to enter their bodies more easily, allowing them to stay underwater for longer.

The Moken children have excellent eyesight.

Like the Bajau of Indonesia, the Moken of western Thailand live by the sea and are also known as water nomads. Their children have excellent eyesight. In 1999, Anna Gislen, a researcher at Lund University, went to Thailand to live with the Moken. Anna's research showed that the eyesight of the younger generation of Moken is twice as good as that of European children. The researcher also observed that adults of this tribe cannot see underwater. Meanwhile, the children can constrict the shape of the eye lens, which is necessary for underwater vision. In fact, this is how dolphins see underwater.

To confirm her theory, Anna showed some European children in Thailand and children in Sweden how to control their eye lenses underwater. A month later, these children could see underwater like the Moken children. However, unlike the Moken children, the European children did not find it easy. Their eyes would always turn red from the salty seawater until they got used to it.

According to Anna, Moken adults cannot see underwater because their "lenses" are rigid, like adults elsewhere.

Sherpas are capable of climbing mountains.

Sherpas are good climbers because their bodies manage oxygen well at high altitudes. According to researchers, Sherpas have lived in the Himalayas for more than 6,000 years. Their bodies are adapted to the extreme cold and low oxygen levels, producing more red blood cells, which feed their muscles with oxygen. Sherpas are also immune to the unpleasant side effects of mountain climbing.

Ecuadorian Dwarf Tribe Immune to Diabetes and Cancer

The Ecuadorian tribe suffers from Laron syndrome, a disease that causes a mutation in human growth hormone that results in dwarfism. Dr. Jaime Guevara-Aguirre studied the tribe and found that people with Laron syndrome are virtually immune to diabetes and cancer.

Guevara-Aguirre teamed up with Dr. Valter D. Longo of the University of Southern California to conduct tests on a serum made from Laron’s genes, which was then injected into human cells. They found that the serum prevented the cells from being genetically damaged. At the same time, the cells self-destructed instead of turning into cancer cells.

Tsimane people (Bolivia) have the least heart disease in the world

Researchers say the Tsimane diet and lifestyle contribute to their low risk of heart disease. The Tsimane eat unprocessed carbohydrates with little fat and protein from animals they hunt. They are also very active and work long hours a day.

Australian Aborigines have the best eyesight

The Aborigines here can detect enemies at great distances, detecting illegal immigrant boats and illegal fishing boats in Australian waters. This superior vision is believed to be a result of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle of the Aborigines. They needed excellent eyesight to survive in the wild.

However, due to factors such as poor hygiene and diabetes, Aborigines over 40 are six times more likely to go blind than other Australians.

Okinawa Island (Japan) has the most long-lived people in the world

People here easily reach 100 years old. According to researchers, the islanders live long thanks to a healthy diet. They eat a lot of whole grains, soybeans, tofu, vegetables, sweet potatoes, fish, squid and octopus.