Full of Beans--The Key to a Long Life

The following article is from the London Daily Telegraph.

Clearly, the key to a long life is much more than simply diet alone, but this is an interesting article to consider....

For the Japanese people this 'traditional' program appears very effective....


Full of beans – the key to a long life
(Filed: 24/09/2003) The London Daily Telegraph

The Japanese live longer, and healthier, than people in the West. Colin Joyce investigates their diet and habits to find out why

Of all the gourmet treats in Japanese cuisine, none is more memorable than natto, or sticky fermented soya beans, which is often served on boiled rice for breakfast. The reaction of visitors to the country on tasting the dish for the first time typically ranges from "disgusting" to "not bad once you get over the fact that it is slimy and smelly".

Healthy eating: the low-fat Japanese diet contains a lot of rice, fish and soya beans, a rich source of protein

Yet Takao Suzuki, vice-director of the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, has no hesitation in hailing this unlovely glop as the Japanese woman's best friend. He says it helps her not only to live longer than Western women, but to remain healthier into old age, and to suffer just a third of the hip fractures and fewer symptoms of menopause.

"There is no mistake that the low-fat Japanese diet of rice and fish lies behind our longevity," says Suzuki. "But the contribution of soya beans is critical. It is a very effective source of protein which contributes to fitness. Tofu and soy sauce are also made from soya beans, of course, but natto is the best, because it contains plant oestrogen, which makes the menopause milder, and vitamin K, which strengthens bones.''

Not that Suzuki believes natto alone will bring long life and health. He points out that even though Japan's economy has grown rapidly from the Sixties and the variety of foodstuffs available to the Japanese housewife has expanded, the average daily intake of food has scarcely risen from 2,000 calories a day. "This pattern is very different from America and Europe, where a larger purse has meant growing obesity," he says. "It seems to be a lucky genetic thing that the Japanese just cannot stuff themselves.''

Japan has just marked Respect for the Aged Day with a public holiday and a flurry of information on the remarkable facts of Japanese longevity. The number of Japanese over the age of 100 will exceed 20,000 for the first time this month. There are more than 10 million Japanese aged 75 and older. The average man will live for 78 years, but for women, life expectancy is over 85 years. In Britain, men can expect to live to 75 and women to 80.

Japanese magazines and newspapers have profiled the amazing genki rojin, or "active elderly", such as Miyuki Iida, the founder of the Artflower School of Flower Arranging in Tokyo, who still teaches and writes about food at the age of 99, and 101-year-old Hideko Arima, who still works in the tiny bar she opened in central Tokyo in 1951.

Researchers all over the world highlight the importance of remaining physically and socially active in order to live longer. For many Japanese, this means working until old age.

Suzuki says: "It may go back to Buddhism, in which work is seen as a virtue rather than a burden, but few Japanese look forward to a `happy retirement'. In fact, people tend to see retirement as a sad thing and an estrangement from society.''

Many Japanese workers set up small businesses when they retire from their office jobs. And even in the suburbs of the big cities, it is quite normal for elderly women to work in family-run stores, such as tobacconists and chemists.

These streets, lined with small shops, provide a community focus, where elderly people can go for a walk, shop and chat with other locals. It is usual to know one's neighbours and the low crime rate means elderly people are less afraid to go out than those in the West, while an efficient public transport system makes it easier to get around.

Toshikatsu Oda, professor of social gerontology at Kobe University, says: "Basically, there is no single reason for the longevity of Japanese. It is part genetic, part diet and part lifestyle. But my research indicates that people who live longest tend not to have financial anxieties. They interact socially with various groups of people and have good life skills. They set themselves targets and achieve them, so that life is good even as they age.''

Suzuki argues that good health is maintained as a result of the small actions that are repeated daily throughout life. The Japanese use plenty of muscles when they sit on the floor and stand up again. They use more energy than Westerners to complete daily household chores, as they beat their futons every morning outside, before folding them away into a cupboard to make space in their cramped homes. And even the traditional squat lavatories work the leg muscles, which means older people fall over less often and suffer fewer injuries.

Not that everything about the Japanese way of life is healthy. Fifty-four per cent of Japanese men smoke, and awareness of the risks of smoking is limited. It doesn't help that a packet of cigarettes costs just £1.50, making it the most notable bargain in a notoriously expensive country. The public health information on the side of the packet warns, tamely: "There is the possibility you could lose your health so let's take care not to smoke too much.''

Yet, remarkably, the Japanese continue to have a lower rate of smoking-related cancers than Westerners. The reasons for this are not well understood, though some argue that green tea has potent anti-cancer properties. Annual health checks are the norm at work, and the national health system is cheap and access easy. This means that warning signs of health problems are often spotted early.

A stroll through the bars of Tokyo will lead any visitor to the city to conclude that the Japanese are prodigious drinkers. Yet research shows that 45 per cent of Japanese have a poor tolerance of alcohol, meaning they get tipsy and blush bright red without having to drink more than a couple of glasses of beer.

Office workers believe that the occasional trip to the karaoke club with colleagues is crucial to relieve the stress built up by long hours spent at the office and by long commutes. Despite their reputation as a reserved nation, they often use these occasions to complain mightily about their jobs and their employers. The unlucky boss has to listen to their moans and groans, make sympathetic noises and hold no grudges back at the office the next day.

Suzuki fears that the average lifespan in Japan may peak within two decades as young people embrace a more Western way of life. Slowly, beds are replacing futons. Youngsters are having yogurt drinks for breakfast, instead of natto, and eating hamburgers instead of rice and fish. Morning showers are replacing night-time baths. As the world looks to Japan for lessons in longevity, the Japanese are learning bad habits from the West.

Full of Beans--The Key to a Long Life

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