Japanese secret of long life includes lots of soy and fish
Date Posted: 9/29/2004
THE EXPRESS via NewsEdge Corporation : A LIFE of three-score years and 15 awaits the average person in Japan - almost three years longer than the typical Briton, World Health Organisation figures show. On Japan's Okinawa islands, known as "the land of the immortals", people regularly live into their 90s and even beyond 100. They have unusually low rates of many common killers, such as heart disease and breast, colon and prostate cancer.
The islanders look and feel younger than their Western counterparts, and they are less likely to suffer infirmity in old age. Breast cancer, which affects one in nine women in Britain, is so rare in Okinawa that screening is considered unnecessary.
The islanders' remarkable longevity has been attributed to their healthy low-fat, low-calorie diet, which is packed with fibre and carbohydrates. Research in other areas of Japan shows that people's exercise and stress management habits might also help explain the country's remarkable health record.
Ironically, it is now under threat from the growing influence of the high-fat Western diet, but obesity in Japan is still unusual and is about 10 times lower than among British men.
Here's how traditional Japanese ways could increase your chances of a long and healthy retirement.
DIET The traditional Japanese diet is high in starchy foods such as rice and low in the saturated fats (found in meat, dairy products and processed foods such as cakes and biscuits) that contribute to heart disease.
Devotees of the lowcarbohydrate Atkins diet might disapprove, but experts reckon a Japanese-style approach to eating is also a healthier way of losing weight.
Fish Fresh fish in the form of sushi (fish and rice) and sashimi (slices of raw fish) is a staple of the Japanese diet and red meat is rarely eaten. On average, the Japanese eat almost 70kg of fish a year each, compared with just 12kg in Britain.
The omega-3 fatty acids in oily fish, such as tuna and mackerel, are particularly beneficial for heart health, but studies show that seven out of every 10 Britons don't eat any. It has also been suggested that fish helps combat lung cancer. Smoking is common among men in Japan, but they have lower rates of the disease than in Britain. Soya The Japanese also eat 70 times more soya than we do and it is generally accepted that more than 25 grams a day has a cholesterol-lowering effect. That in turn lowers people's risk of heart disease and attack. In addition, soya products such as tofu contain plant chemicals called phytoestrogens and isoflavones, believed to protect against hormone-dependent breast and other cancers.
Japan has a dramatically lower rate of the disease than Britain, with 24 cases per 100,000 women, compared with 70 in this country, a recent study showed. But breast cancer is on the increase in Japan, possibly because of the growing popularity of Western food.
Japanese women who live in Western countries and adopt their diets are also more prone to the disease.
Seaweed Seaweed, which accounts for 10 per cent of the Japanese diet, contains fatty acids that might help in the fight against some cancers. It is also rich in minerals such as potassium and iron but is rarely eaten here.
High-fat dairy products, including cheese, form only a tiny part of the Japanese diet.
Green tea There have been many claims made about the benefits of drinking green tea, which is lower in caffeine than teas traditionally favoured by Britons. Japanese researchers have shown that it lowers cholesterol and that it could protect against a re-occurrence of breast cancer.
"If you look at the Japanese rates of heart disease, they are obviously doing something right, " says Sara Stanner, senior nutrition scientist with the British Nutrition Foundation.
"We should learn from the diets of other countries and take what is good for us."
But experts also caution that we should not simply copy the Japanese. Their rates of strokes and stomach cancer are high, although the reasons are not clear. One factor might be the high levels of salt in Japanese foods such as miso soup and pickles. There is research evidence that links excessive salt intake to certain cancers.
Salt also contributes to high blood pressure, which in turn increases people's risk of stroke.
LIFESTYLE Japanese attitudes towards life and exercise are also believed to contribute to their wellbeing and longevity.
TYPICAL JAPANESE DIET
- Seven servings of fruit and vegetables per day.
- Seven servings of whole grains such as brown rice and wholewheat bread per day.
- Two servings of soya products such as tofu per day.
- At least three servings of fish a week.
- Green tea rather than the black tea or coffee commonly drunk in Britain.
- Few meat and dairy products, including cheese.
- Food is steamed whenever possible, which preserves more vitamins and minerals than boiling and is far healthier than both frying and roasting because it uses no fat.
www.eat-japan.com contains many fascinating Japanese recipes and tells you more about Japanese food.
Exercise They are much more likely to walk or cycle to work than the British and martial arts, such as kendo, karate and judo, are taught in school and enjoyed throughout people's adult lives. Another martial art, aikido, helps develop the joints so that participants can triumph with minimum effort.
Relaxation Bathing is one of the most important rituals in Japan, where there are more than 2,000 hot springs. Many of the springs, or onsens, are rich in minerals that are claimed to ease muscle pain and reduce high blood pressure.
As well as aiding relaxation, bathing in Japan is often highly sociable, involving friends and families meeting at spas to bathe or enjoy a stress-relieving massage. At home, it is normal to unwind before the evening meal by having a long soak.
In some Japanese factories, workers are given "tension breaks" to work out their stresses on a punch bag bearing a photograph of their boss.
Dr Stephen Chan of London University's School of Asian Studies says: "The Japanese have to cope with stress just as we do. Living in Tokyo can be just as grotty as in London. But they have a sense of serenity that goes beyond exercise - they are very accepting of the difficulties of life and have a strong sense of community rather than personal identity."
Religion The religions of Buddhism and Shintoism are widely practised in Japan and involve the release of tension and emotions. "It is very similar to the benefits of Western psychotherapy, " says Dr Chan.
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