> they characterise Loma Linda's 9000 Adventists, who make up 40% of the population, as living a decade longer on average

> This claim is hard to reconcile with the CDC's official numbers which show a typical life expectancy for the entire area

Buettner's focus was on the outliers. Loma Linda is a longevity hotspot, and the question is why.

He found the long-living outliers practiced certain behaviors that they associated with Adventism, like vegetarianism.

Not all Adventists practice those behaviors. About half of Adventists eat meat, for example.

But the long-living outliers were Adventist and practiced the behaviors that he highlighted. So that was his takeaway.