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Okinawan DietIn addition, much of the fame around Okinawa's population is from the fact that Okinawans have among the lowest mortality rates in the world from a multitude of chronic diseases of aging, including dementia, cardiovascular disease (coronary heart disease and stroke) and cancer. Okinawa is Japan's southernmost prefecture, and consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over 1,000 km long. To discover the secret's as to why Okinawans live so long lives, there have been several studies to their genetic and lifestyle factors responsible for this aging phenomenon. One of the most important ones has been the Okinawa Center Study. The study found that that Okinawan centenarians (those that live past 100 years of age) have HLA (human leukocyte antigen) genetic patterns that place them at lower risk for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. One of the cornerstones of many anti aging regimen's is caloric restiction with optimal nutrition, which has been shown in animal studies to increase life expectancy dramatically. The initial evidence that this may work in humans has been indirect and based on observation of the low caloric intake of the Okinawans and their long life expectancy. The reduced caloric lifestyle has been reputed in part to lead to the findings of low blood levels of free radicals in the population. Other significant aspects of the healthy lifestyle of Okinawans were found to be regular exercise, low body fat level, moderate alcohol use, avoidance of smoking, blood pressure control, and a stress-minimizing psychospiritual outlook. In addition, the Okinawans' diet was found to be high in high vegetables/fruits, to include a higher intake of good fats (omega-3, mono-unsaturated fat), was high in fiber, as well as contained a high flavonoid intake. The research also found that the Okinawans have optimistic attitudes, adaptability, and an easy-going approach to life. Okinawan Diet - StudiesD. Craig Willcox, Bradley J. Willcox, Hidemi Todoriki, J. David Curb, and Makoto Suzuki. Caloric restriction and human longevity: what can we learn from the Okinawans? Biogerontology, Volume 7, Number 3 / June, 2006, 173-177. Mizushima S, Moriguchi EH, Nakada Y, Biosca MDG, Nara Y, Murakami K, Horie R, Moriguchi Y, Mimura G, Yamori Y. The relationship of dietary factors to cardiovascular diseases among Japanese in Okinawa and Japanese immigrants, originally from Okinawa, in Brazil. Hypertension Res (1992) 15:45-55. Bradley J. Willcox, D. Craig Willcox, Qimei He, J. David Curb and Makoto Suzuki. Siblings of Okinawan Centenarians Share Lifelong Mortality Advantages. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Medi Sci, 2006. Chan YC, Suzuki M, Yamamoto S (1997) Dietary, anthropometric, hematological and biochemical assessment of the nutritional status of centenarians and elderly people in Okinawa, Japan. J Am Coll Nutr 16: 229–235. Goto A, Yasumura S, Nishise Y, Sakihara S (2003) Association of health behavior and social role with total mortality among Japanese elders in Okinawa, Japan. Aging Clin Exp Res 15:443–450. Hokama T, Arakaki H, Sho H, Inafuku M (1967) Nutrition survey of school children in Okinawa. Sci B Coll Agr Univ Ryukyus 14:1–15. Suzuki M, Willcox BJ, Willcox DC (2004) Successful aging: secrets of Okinawan longevity. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 4:180–181. Sho H (2001) History and characteristics of Okinawan longevity food. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 10:159–164. Takata H, Suzuki M, Ishii T, Sekiguchi S, Iri H (1987) Influence of major histocompatibility complex region genes on human longevity among Okinawan-Japanese centenarians and nonagenarians. Lancet 2:824–826. Todoriki H, Willcox DC, Willcox BJ (2004) The effects of post-war dietary change on longevity and health in Okinawa. Okinawa J Amer Studies 1:52–61. Willcox DC (2005) Okinawan longevity: where do we go from here? Nutr Diet 8:9–17. Willcox BJ, Willcox DC, He Q, Curb JD,Suzuki M (2006) Siblings of Okinawan centenarians share lifelong mortality advantages. J Gerontol Biol Sci.
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