Japan's Top 10 Health Tips for a Long, Healthy Life
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Loading... - Agung Hidayat
- 14 Jun 2022
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Land of the rising centenarians
The Japanese lifestyle, or at least an approximation of it (there is never such a thing as a ‘monolithic’ cultural lifestyle), is widely lauded as a leading example of how to live a long and healthy life.
It seems to be working too. Japan has the highest proportion of centenarians of all countries in the world. That’s actually quite an achievement. Only in 1965 did the Japanese life expectancy rise above 70 years of age. Today it’s the second-highest in the world at very close to 85. (Hong Kong is number one at almost 88.) One of the reasons for this massive jump is the strong decrease in several types of cancer and cardiovascular disease — big killers in the Western world.
That is what happens when policy reflects a broad and insightful approach to population health. The Japanese government has invested heavily in reducing health disparities and expanding social welfare services. There are also many policies and programs in place to encourage healthy dietary habits and physical activity, as well as to reduce smoking and excessive alcohol drinking.
And they’re not done.
In 2013, Japan launched the Health Japan 21 project to maintain its leading position in healthy longevity. This 10-year program aims to build on the sturdy foundation and specifically promote a healthy old age because no matter how healthy your population is, a very high proportion of very old people remains a healthcare challenge. Keeping the oldest old healthy is one of the best things for any healthcare system at a population level.
Update — do’s and dont’s
A group of researchers now presents the Lifelong Health Support 10. They begin by combining the 2014 Japanese Society of Hypertension lifestyle modification guidelines and the 2017 Japan Atherosclerosis Society guidelines for preventing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Then, they incorporate recent epidemiological evidence especially involving Japanese populations. Many older guidelines tended to be based on Western populations. Most of them are probably general enough, but there could be population-specific effects to bear in mind (think the prevalence of specific genetic variants, traditional foods or drinks, and so on).
Without further ado:
Five things to avoid
- Smoking and second-hand smoke exposure.
- Excessive alcohol intake. Stay below 20g of alcohol per day. (A standard US beer contains about 14 grams, a glass of wine around 10.)
- Sugary drinks and fried foods.
- Excess salt. (Stay below 7.5g/day for men and 6.5g/day for women.)
- Obesity, underweight, and drastic weight fluctuations. Maintain a healthy weight.
Five things to increase
- Physical activity. No-brainer.
- Fiber intake. A minimum of 21g/day for men and 18g/day for women.
- Fish and seafood consumption. At least 3x per week, preferably more.
- Fruit and vegetable intake. Aim for > 200g of fruit and >350g of vegetables per day.
- I saved the most controversial one for last: Eat more soy (unless you’re allergic or have an intolerance, of course). They don’t give a specific amount to aim for, but simply state “consume more soy products”. Read More...
