With 50,000 living centenarians in
Japan, there's evidence that the country's residents hold the secret to
longevity: a healthy diet.
Japanese women have one of the longest life spans of
any country, only second to those in Hong Kong. The oldest living man
(also the oldest living person) is also Japanese. Jiroemon Kimura is 115
years old.
“The Japanese diet is the iPod of food," Naomi
Moriyama, co-author of Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat: Secrets of
My Mother's Tokyo Kitchen told Web MD. "It concentrates the magnificent energy of food into a compact and pleasurable size."
The typical Japanese person consumes about 25 percent
less calories per day than the average American. The base of their diet
is vegetables and fish, a great source of omega-3 fats, which are
excellent for heart health. Because their meals are largely vegetarian,
they eat very little red meat, which can lead to health problems if eaten regularly.
The results of a 25-year study of the longest living group
of Japanese people, the Okinawans, revealed that their traditional diet
of rice, soy, and vegetables could be the reason that, on average,
Okinawan women live to be 86 years old.
Japanese
women also go through natural menopause and don’t use hormone therapy,
which can lead to health complications. Researchers believe they
struggle less with the changes of menopause because their diet is high
in soy. But American women hoping to take soy supplements will be
disappointed: in order to receive the benefits, phytoestrogens must be ingested naturally, through foods rich in soy.
With all dietary suggestions aside, there is of course a genetic component
to aging, meaning Japanese people are less genetically predisposed to
certain diseases. A positive and low-stress lifestyle has also shown to
lengthen life. The Okinawans don’t have rush hour or alarm clocks, and
many meditate daily.
Okawa was born in Osaka 1898, the year that
the boroughs of New York were annexed, the Spanish American War began,
and radium was invented. In 1919, she married and had three children
with her husband. After his death, she moved back to Osaka. She has four
grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Speaking to a group
at her nursing home on making the Guinness Book of World Records, she
said, “given everything, it’s pretty good.” ( shine.yahoo.com )
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