Humanities Research2

LONG LIVE! THE LONGEST LIVES OF THE JAPANESE

Researched and Lay-out by: ALLAN JAY T. ALLONAR, JR.

INTRODUCTION The longevity of the Japanese is commonly known around the world. But aside from the length of their life span, the quality of it is also something to admire. Japan is the country with the longest life expectancy in the world. Within Japan itself, the longest life expectancy can be found in the Amami Islands, which lie between Kyushu and Okinawa and are part of Kagoshima Prefecture. When Kagoshima Prefecture looked into the reasons why its citizens live so long, it uncovered several factors, including an abundance of minerals in the air people breathe and the water they drink; a diet rich in seafood, seaweed, and brown sugar; and a sense of purpose among the elderly. Apart from moving to the Amami Islands which is probably impractical - the best advice to people wishing to extend their life spans may be to research what makes the islanders live so long and adopt some of their good habits. According to the World Health Organization, only the Japanese can look forward to living to at least 74.5 years in full health compared to other people in 191 countries. This means they have the most number of years living free of diseases or problems normally associated with aging (World Health Organization June 4, 2000). This, in spite of the fact that many Japanese indulge in drinking alcoholic beverages such as beer and sake, and smoking. What’s their secret? It’s in their diet. Their food is fresh. Similar to the Philippines, Japan is an island-nation that gro ws rice and vegetables. The plant food that a Japanese community eats is usually from sources just within the community. Since the food they buy from the market is picked on the same day, only a minimum amount of nutrients is lost – as opposed to fruits and vegetables that are transported great distances before they are eaten. Variety in their daily diet is another factor that contributes to the Japanese’s good health. If you’ve ever eaten at a Japanese restaurant, you’ll know that a

meal consists of numerous viands served in sepsarate dishes, often in small amounts. In fact, an average Japanese person usually eats up to 25 to 35 different types of food in a day. This variety is a huge help in satisfying one’s daily nutritional requirements. An individual’s (Japanese or otherwise) daily nutritional requirement can be broken down into two groups: micronutrients and macronutrients. Micronutrients, more commonly kno wn as vitamins and minerals, can be found in fresh plant foods. On the other hand, carbohydrates (which is the most important because it is the body’s fuel), proteins (which build up, keep up and replace tissues in the body, and also used to form antibodies to fight off infection and disease), and fats (the body’s main form of energy storage) are collectively known as macronutrients. They can be found in seafood, rice and noodles, which are staples of the Japanese diet. The Japanese who live fastpaced lives manage to satisfy their carbohydrate requirements by eating instant noodles. In busy cities like Tokyo, instant noodles are increasingly popular because they are quick and easy to prepare, and are filling. In fact, the Japanese can eat up to four large servings of instant noodles a day. Instant noodles satisfy the most essential macronutrient requirement – carbohydrates – without which, the body will look for other sources of nourishment, usually from the body’s protein or stored fat. This leads to fatigue, depression, loss of weight and muscle mass. Since carbohydrates also act as natural tranquilizers, noodles also make good evening snacks.

LIFE EXPECTANCY ANG LONGEVITY Life expectancy is the average number of years of life remaining at a given age. The term is most often used in the human context, but used also in other living things such as plant or animal ecology and the calculation is based on the analysis of life tables (also known as actuarial tables). The term may also be used in the context of manufactured objects although the related term shelf life is used for consumer products. On the other hand, the word longevity is sometimes used as a synonym for "life expectancy" in demography. For the general public as well as writers, the word generally connotes "long life", especially when it concerns someone or something lasting longer than expected. Reflections on longevity have usually gone beyond acknowledging the brevity of human life and have included thinking about methods to extend life. Longevity has been a topic not only for the scientific community but also for writers of travel, science fiction, and utopian novels. There are many difficulties in authenticating the longest human lifespan ever by modern verification standards, due to inaccurate or incomplete birth statistics. Fiction, legend, and folklore have proposed or claimed lifespans in the past or future vastly longer than those verified by modern standards, and longevity narratives and unverified longevity claims frequently speak of their existence in the present. Humans live on average 39.5 years in Swaziland and on average 81 years in Japan (2008 est.). The oldest confirmed recorded age for any human is 122 years (see Jeanne Calment), though some people are reported to have lived longer. This is referred to as the "life span", which is the upper boundary of life, the maximum number of years an individual can live. Various factors contribute to an individual's longevity. Significant factors in life expectancy include gender, genetics, access to health care, hygiene, diet and nutrition, exercise, lifestyle, and crime rates. There are great variations in life expectancy worldwide, mostly caused by differences in public health, medical care and diet from country to country. Much of the early death in poorer nations is due to war, starvation, or diseases (Aids, Malaria). Over the past 200 years, countries with Black or African citizens have not had improvements in the mortality rates that persons in colonials countries have. And even in colonial countries (America, England, France), Black citizens have shorter life expectancies than their white counterparts. Climate may also have an effect, and the way data is collected may also be an important influence. There are also variations between groups within single countries. For example, in the U.S. non-Latino Whites are expected to live until age 78, but African Americans only until age 71. Significant differences still remain in life expectancy between men and women in France and other developed countries, with women outliving men by five years or more. On average women tend to live until 80 years old whereas men are only expected to live until 74. These gender differences have been increasing in recent years. Poverty, in particular, has a very substantial effect on life expectancy. In the United Kingdom life expectancy in the wealthiest areas is on average ten years longer than the poorest areas and the gap appears to be increasing as life expectancy for the prosperous continues to increase while in more deprived communities there is little increase. However, in Glasgow the disparity is among the highest in the world with life expectancy for males in the heavily deprived Calton standing at 54 – 28 years less than in the affluent area of Lenzie, which is only eight kilometres away. Life expectancy may also be reduced for people exposed to high levels of highway air pollution or industrial air pollution. Occupation may also have a major effect on life expectancy. Well-educated professionals working in offices have a high life expectancy, while coal miners (and in prior generations, asbestos cutters) do not. Other factors affecting an individual's life expectancy are genetic disorders, obesity, access to health care, diet, exercise, tobacco smoking, and excessive drug and alcohol use. As pointed out above, AIDS has recently had a negative effect on life expectancy, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Japanese Shown to Have Longest Healthy Life Expectancy Japanese Women Lead the World Again. According to the most recent data from the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, the average life expectancy in Japan was 78.32 years for men and 85.23 for women in 2002. This was an increase of 0.25 years for men and 0.30 years for women over the previous year and was also the first time that the figure for either gender had exceeded 85 years. Looking at countries around the world, Hong Kong has the longest life expectancy for men at 78.4 years (2001 figure), followed by Japan, and Iceland at 78.1 years (2001 figure). Japan had the highest life expectancy for women, followed by Hong Kong at 84.6 years and Switzerland at 82.6 years (2000 figure). Even if people do not fall ill, the DNA contained in their cells seems to contain a kind of "program" for an upper limit, and the maximum life expectancy is thought to be unlikely to change without this program being rewritten. Average life expectancy, however, can be extended through such means as the prevention of illnesses, advances in medicine, reducing the number of accidents, and eliminating war. Advanced countries have seen life expectancies roughly double from the end of the eighteenth century, when people lived to between 35 and 40 on average. Average life expectancies exceeding 50 are, in fact, a relatively new phenomenon, and Japan did not reach this level until after World War II. Life expectancy in Japan grew rapidly after that; in the 1980s Japan continually vied with Iceland for the longest life expectancy for men, while Japanese women have held the top spot in the world for eighteen years running. Life expectancy rose for both men and women in all of Japan's 47 prefectures between 1975 and 2000. During that period, Nagano, Fukui, Kanagawa, Shizuoka, and Gifu Prefectures were in the top 10 for men's life expectancy every year. Okinawa Prefecture ranked at the top for women's life expectancy every year, and the only other prefecture to consistently make the top 10 for women was Okayama. Okinawa ranked in the top 10 for men's life expectancy until 1995 but then suffered something of a slump, including a fall of 0.42 years in men's life expectancy in 2000, and has dropped down the rankings.

It is a well known fact that when it comes to living long, healthy lives, the Japanese seem to have an upper hand in that department. Why is that? There are many thoughts and theories of what secret knowledge the Japanese hold and what the rest of the world can do to achieve the same outcome. Let's take a closer look at what secrets the Japanese possess and practice, and what the rest of the natural world seems to be missing.

To say it seems as if the Japanese tend to live longer is an understatement in a big way. The average life span of Japanese men is 78 years while their women counterparts have a life expectancy of 85. That is remarkable and is also the world's highest life expectancy of the past 20 years. That is correct, for the past 20 years the Japanese have outlived the rest of us and by far too. Let’s look and find out the differences in general lifestyles between the Japanese and the rest of the world.

Japanese Secrets to a Longer Healthier Life The Diet Emphasis on the Importance of Family and Tradition The Environment and the Sense of Purpose

The Diet The biggest difference is the way that the Japanese eat. In general the Japanese are very healthy eaters, much more so than the typical American. The Japanese are known to have extremely low levels of cholesterol in their blood. This is a main contributor to the fact that very few Japanese die from heart disease. How exactly do the Japanese people manage to keep such extremely low levels of cholesterol in their blood? This has remained a mystery of sorts. There are special nutritional structures that are in Japan. These unique structures make the Japanese diet almost completely unknown and almost rarely ever used outside of Japan itself. They cook and consume foods that are not served much outside their country.

The main foods that are consumed in Japan consist of Tofu, Shitake Mushrooms, Prawns, Soba Noodles, and Wakame. Let’s take a closer look at these. • Tofu is a curd that is made from soya beans. Tofu is a cholesterol free food that is low in calories and very high in protein. • This food has been shown to reduce the associated risks of heart disease. • Tofu is almost tasteless or at the very least has such a mild taste that it takes on the tastes of the foods it is cooked with. Shiitake Mushrooms are native to East Asia. They have been the topic of research for their medical benefits. Specifically their anti-tumor benefits in mice that were tested. The shiitake mushrooms have also been tested as anti-viral properties perfect for treating moderate to severe allergies. There are several other tests under way to further prove their medical value. Prawn, a type of shellfish is one of the main staples of the Japanese diet. In fact, they are often thought of or mistaken for shrimp. The only real difference is the gill structure of the two crustations. Soba Noodles are made from buckwheat flour. There are two ways they are served either chilled with a sauce for dipping, or hot in a broth as a noodle soup. These noodles have become a replacement for fast food in train stations. Their counterpart, thick noodles or udon, are not served as often. They are served with many different ingredients added to alter their flavor. The last of the main staples of Japan is Wakame. This is seaweed. Wakame has a compound within it help people burn fatty tissue. This has also been used as a... • Topical beauty treatment • To purify blood • An intestinal strengthener • Promotes healthy skin and hair growth • Helps keep the female reproduction organs healthy and menstrual cycles regular The above foods combined make up over 75 percent of the food consumed in Japan. When you look at the health benefits of these foods it is not a far stretch of your imagination to conclude that a Japanese person has a longer life due to their diet. This has for a long time been an assumption of many but as of yet has not been proved. Now let us look at a few other factors that might be viable reasons that Japanese people tend to live longer than other nationalities. Some people contribute this to the obvious differences in lifestyles. The Japanese rarely smoke and the fact that they are genuinely more relaxed.

Emphasis on the Importance of Family and Tradition The Japanese also put a great emphasis on the importance of family and tradition. Although this can be difficult at times, it has been found to actually make a person’s determination to "do what is right" stronger and can actually extend one’s life. When family and tradition are of such importance, it has been found that an individual takes more care and caution when it comes to dangerous and health threatening activities. If you want your family to be proud, you are less likely to do things that could alter their positive stature in the community.

The Environment and the Sense of Purpose Within Japan, the Amami Islands are known for being the home of Hongo Kamato, the 116-yearold woman who, until her death in October, was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the oldest person alive, and Izumi Shigechiyo, who passed away in 1986 at the age of 120 years and 237 days. While there are 10.7 centenarians per 100,000 people across the whole of Japan, some areas boast much higher proportions, including Kagoshima Prefecture with 21.52 per 100,000 people, Okinawa Prefecture with 31.19, and Amami with a whopping 56.57. (Figures are an average of the years from 1998 to 2002). Late last year, in an effort to help create a model for an aging society, Kagoshima Prefecture set out to research the factors that contribute to the longevity of Amami residents. The research examined the natural environment, such as the coastline and the amount of sunlight; the lifestyle choices of individuals, such as nutritional intake; and the social environment, including what roles the elderly play in the local community. The interim report included the following findings. (1) Because the islands are surrounded by the ocean, the wind is strong, and there are few high mountains causing obstructions, many minerals from the seawater are carried in the air to all parts of the islands. (2) Residents eat a daily average of 97.1 grams of seafood, more than the national average of 92 grams, and many of them consume large amounts of seaweed and brown sugar, both of which are rich in minerals. (3) The tap water has a high mineral content, 94 milligrams per liter compared with a national average of 52.8 milligrams. In addition, many older people in the Amami Islands feel a sense of purpose in taking care of their grandchildren, and seniors there tend to go out often and do a lot of walking, a lifestyle conducive to longevity. Until her death, Amami resident Hongo followed a pattern of sleeping for two days and staying awake for two days. She also used to drink shochu (a traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage) distilled from brown sugar, which is known to be effective at reducing blood clots, as well as eating brown sugar. Considering the number of Amami residents practicing similarly healthy habits, it would be no surprise if these islands produced further record breakers in the years ahead.

Significance of the Study

Most people want to live a long life, although some hold out the reservation that the life they want to live should be healthy as well as long. It is not unusual for individual aspirations to conflict with the good of society. In this case the two things align. Longer lives, especially longer and healthier lives, add much well-being of humankind. The individual’s emotional life is richer for living long enough to get to know not just the next generation but one or two after it and for grandchildren to know their grandparents. Society benefits from the experience and the wisdom of older people. The rhythms of life are more predictable when the young live to be old. As they age, many people find that each new stage holds its own rewards and pleasure, which are seldom anticipated at younger ages. Living to be old in good adequate health is, moreover, a form of freedom. It creates the opportunity to think, to read, to work, to love, to enjoy oneself. The record of Japan’s long life expectancy and span will enable us to think where we are in their scale. We will be encouraged to somehow pattern or correlate our way of living or lifestyle to that of the Japanese after knowing on this study the several factors, keys, reasons and ssecrets of their longest life expectancy. Summary/Conclusion and Recommendation Japan's population is estimated at around 127.3 million. Japanese society is linguistically and culturally homogeneous with small populations of foreign workers. Japan has one of the highest life expectancy rates in the world, at 81.25 years of age as of 2006. The Japanese population is rapidly aging, the effect of a post-war baby boom followed by a decrease in births in the latter part of the twentieth century. In 2004, about 19.5% of the population was over the age of 65. At the end of the twentieth century everyone could not expect to live an extended life, but humankind had moved closer to that goal than ever before. In 1800, with nearly one billion people alive, life expectancy at birth did not surpass thirty years. On year 2000, with more than six billion people alive, life expectancy reached nearly 67 years amidst a continuing rise. This is the crowning achievement of the modern era, surpassing wealth, military power, and political stability in import. This dramatic change may be called as the “health transition”, in which humankind acquired an expectation of living to be old. These longer lives contributed to population growth, adding people who in earlier periods died at younger ages.

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CIA World Factbook James C. Riley. Rising life expectancy: a global history. Cambridge University Press, 2001 s