32.
Okinawa
The Land of ‘Immortals’
Okinawa is the southernmost prefecture in all of Japan. It is the main island of a tropical chain of 160 coral islets called Ryukyu, has a volcanic soil, whipped by typhoons and torrential rains.
This island has a rich history. It is located in the center of the East China Sea relatively close to Japan, China and South-East Asia. Okinawa witnessed the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. A quarter of the civilian population died during the famous Battle of Okinawa.
After the end of World War II in 1945, Okinawa came under United States administration for 27 years. During the trusteeship rule the United States Air Force established numerous military bases on the Ryukyu islands.
This island has a rich history. It is located in the center of the East China Sea relatively close to Japan, China and South-East Asia. Okinawa witnessed the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. A quarter of the civilian population died during the famous Battle of Okinawa.
After the end of World War II in 1945, Okinawa came under United States administration for 27 years. During the trusteeship rule the United States Air Force established numerous military bases on the Ryukyu islands.
In 1972, the U.S. government returned the islands to Japanese administration. But under the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, the United States Forces Japan (USFJ) have maintained a large military presence.
Apart from the battle, Okinawa is known for the long life expectancy of its residents.
When the Japan Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare conducted the Okinawa Centenarian Study in 1976, it was to investigate anecdotal reports of the long life expectancy of Okinawans.
What it found were low rates of cardiovascular disease and hormone-dependent cancers, low rates of dementia, strong bones and many other signs of vitality amongst the elderly in Okinawa.
The people of Okinawa live longer and are healthier than anyone else in the world. There are more than 900 centenarians living here and diseases like cancer, diabetes and hypertension are rare. Healthy seniors work actively in farming and community projects, seemingly immune to the effects of old age. The report mentioned an absence of stress and avoiding cigarettes and alcohol as being critical factors. This is besides their centuries old healthy dietary pattern.
“The calendar may say they’re 70 but their body says they’re 50,” says Bradley Willcox, a scientist researching the extraordinary phenomenon. “The most impressive part of it is that a good lot of them are healthy until the very end.”
Apart from the battle, Okinawa is known for the long life expectancy of its residents.
When the Japan Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare conducted the Okinawa Centenarian Study in 1976, it was to investigate anecdotal reports of the long life expectancy of Okinawans.
What it found were low rates of cardiovascular disease and hormone-dependent cancers, low rates of dementia, strong bones and many other signs of vitality amongst the elderly in Okinawa.
The people of Okinawa live longer and are healthier than anyone else in the world. There are more than 900 centenarians living here and diseases like cancer, diabetes and hypertension are rare. Healthy seniors work actively in farming and community projects, seemingly immune to the effects of old age. The report mentioned an absence of stress and avoiding cigarettes and alcohol as being critical factors. This is besides their centuries old healthy dietary pattern.
“The calendar may say they’re 70 but their body says they’re 50,” says Bradley Willcox, a scientist researching the extraordinary phenomenon. “The most impressive part of it is that a good lot of them are healthy until the very end.”
The Okinawa Centenarian Study (OCS)
It’s not only the world’s longest life expectancy but also the world’s longest health expectancy that has piqued the interest of the researchers.
Abstinence is the key for longevity: no liqueur, no smoking, no heavy fatty food. Plus to feel less stress;in this regard, the spiritual connection with God tremendously helps. I am already 77 but still going very well with original teeth.
~Sam Khan, Stratford, USA
The Okinawa Centenarian Study (OCS) is an ongoing population-based study of centenarians and other selected elderly that began in 1975.
The goal of the Okinawa Centenarian Study is to uncover the genetic and lifestyle factors responsible for this remarkable successful aging phenomenon for the betterment of the health and lives of all people.
Ages are validated through the koseki, the Japanese family registration system. At the baseline exam a full geriatric assessment is performed, including physical exam and activities of daily living.
Since the onset of the OCS, limited information on the demographics of the entire centenarian population of Okinawa has been collected and full assessments of a sub-sample of 900-plus centenarians have been performed.
When Dr. Suzuki, the Principal Investigator of the OCS, first began his studies, he found an unusual number of centenarians to be in extraordinarily healthy shape. They were lean, youthful-looking, and energetic.
The goal of the Okinawa Centenarian Study is to uncover the genetic and lifestyle factors responsible for this remarkable successful aging phenomenon for the betterment of the health and lives of all people.
Ages are validated through the koseki, the Japanese family registration system. At the baseline exam a full geriatric assessment is performed, including physical exam and activities of daily living.
Since the onset of the OCS, limited information on the demographics of the entire centenarian population of Okinawa has been collected and full assessments of a sub-sample of 900-plus centenarians have been performed.
When Dr. Suzuki, the Principal Investigator of the OCS, first began his studies, he found an unusual number of centenarians to be in extraordinarily healthy shape. They were lean, youthful-looking, and energetic.
Diet
Explanations for this mostly centre around the dinner table. The Okinawans not only eat more tofu and soya products than any other population in the world, their diet also includes a vast range of different vegetables and fruit all rich in anti-oxidants. Scientists refer to it as a rainbow diet.
Thousands of people saw it: 7 years ago Seikichi Uehara, 96, defeated an ex box champ in his 30’s. Or the case of Nabi Kinjo, 105, that killed with a flyswatter a poisonous snake. Here you see 100 years old persons that do not even think about retirement.
Why are we cranking up people out of medical school to go and do cosmetic surgery for God’s sake? This whole obsession with staying and looking young is not accepting basically, that we are biological creatures, we’re ageing as a part of our lives.
If we took a leaf out of the Okinawans’ book, we could grow old gracefully, without ever needing to go under the knife.
~Dr Suzuki
But it’s what they don’t eat that may be at the heart of their exceptionally long lives.
The Okinawan’s most significant cultural tradition is known as hara hachi bu, which translated means eat until you’re only 80% full.
In a typical day they only consume around 1,200 calories, about 20% less than most people in the US or UK. Culturally it is a million miles from attitudes in a lot of Western societies, where allyou-can-eat meal deals are offered in restaurants on most high streets. Scientists call it caloric restriction, but don’t entirely understand how it works.
Meat consumption is very rare and carbs are unprocessed and as natural as possible, like brown rice and whole wheat. Basically, it can be called a ‘quasi-vegan’ diet. While centenarian Okinawans do eat some pork, it is traditionally reserved only for infrequent ceremonial occasions and taken only in small amounts.
A weight-loss diet (which bears the name of Okinawa) has also been made based on this standard diet of the Islanders.
Generally, the traditional diet of the islanders contains 30% of the green/yellow vegetables. Although the traditional Japanese diet includes large quantities of rice, in Okinawa, rice is consumed in smaller amounts and the staple is instead the sweet potato.
The Okinawan’s most significant cultural tradition is known as hara hachi bu, which translated means eat until you’re only 80% full.
In a typical day they only consume around 1,200 calories, about 20% less than most people in the US or UK. Culturally it is a million miles from attitudes in a lot of Western societies, where allyou-can-eat meal deals are offered in restaurants on most high streets. Scientists call it caloric restriction, but don’t entirely understand how it works.
Meat consumption is very rare and carbs are unprocessed and as natural as possible, like brown rice and whole wheat. Basically, it can be called a ‘quasi-vegan’ diet. While centenarian Okinawans do eat some pork, it is traditionally reserved only for infrequent ceremonial occasions and taken only in small amounts.
A weight-loss diet (which bears the name of Okinawa) has also been made based on this standard diet of the Islanders.
Generally, the traditional diet of the islanders contains 30% of the green/yellow vegetables. Although the traditional Japanese diet includes large quantities of rice, in Okinawa, rice is consumed in smaller amounts and the staple is instead the sweet potato.
In the last century, 100,000 Okinawans migrated to Brazil, where they adopted the Brazilian diet, rich in meat. The result was that their average lifespan lowered by 17 years. When the Okinawan youth started to go to American Fast-Foods and Pizza Bars, which surround the American bases, the obesity levels, cardiovascular diseases and premature deaths in the young reached record levels.
Wilcox compared age-adjusted mortality of Okinawans versus Americans and found that, during 1995, an average Okinawan was 8 times less likely to die from coronary heart disease, 7 times less likely to die from prostate cancer, 6.5 times less likely to die from breast cancer, and 2.5 times less likely to die from colon cancer than an average American of the same age.
The traditional Okinawa diet as described above has been practiced on the islands until about the 1960s. Since then, dietary practices have been shifting towards Western and Japanese patterns, with fat intake rising from about 10% to 27% of total caloric intake and the sweet potato being supplanted with rice and bread.
The traditional Okinawa diet as described above has been practiced on the islands until about the 1960s. Since then, dietary practices have been shifting towards Western and Japanese patterns, with fat intake rising from about 10% to 27% of total caloric intake and the sweet potato being supplanted with rice and bread.
Genetics
Studies show that the genetics of the Okinawans help them in preventing inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Siblings of long-lived Okinawans also tend to live long, healthy lives. However, when Okinawans move to new environments (causing changes in lifestyle habits), they lose their longevity. This indicates that other important factors are at play besides genetics.
Okinawa did not escape the trading trends: in the center of the island, there is now a big store with a big hanging poster “Okinawa, the world capital of the longevity” which offers the ingredients of the longevity: brown sugar “made of Okinawa cane”, kombu, tofu and other products, supposed to prolong your life
Most of the over-85-years-old elderly I’ve ever met seem to be waiting to die, sick of dealing with their physical pains and of struggling to survive on small pensions, but not the Okinawans. They have a child-like zeal towards life, wanting to live more. Even a 100-year-old woman says she would like to live a few more years to spend with her grandchildren. As the old Okinawan saying goes, “At 70 you are still a child, at 80 a young man or woman.
Simply put, if Americans lived more like the Okinawans, we would have to close down 80 percent of the coronary care units and one-third of the cancer wards in the United States, and a lot of nursing homes would be out of business.
~From The Okinawa Program
Heart Health
The study participants have clean, healthy arteries, low cholesterol and low homocysteine levels. Researchers believe these low, healthy levels may decrease the risk of heart disease in Okinawans by as much as 80 percent. The reasons for these low levels are thought to be a good diet, high levels of physical activity, low alcohol use, not smoking, and positive attitude that reduces stress.
Low Cancer Risk
The Okinawans also have less risk for hormone-dependent cancers (breast, prostate, ovarian and colon cancers). Specifically, they have 80 percent less risk of breast and prostate cancer and 50 percent less risk of ovarian and colon cancers. Researchers attribute this risk reduction to eating fewer calories, consuming lots of fruits and vegetables, having good fats in the diet, eating plenty of fiber and staying physically active.
Bone Health
No surprise that Okinawans also have less risk of hip fractures than Americans. The bone density for the centenarians decreases at a slower rate than other Japanese people. This may be due to a higher calcium intake in the Okinawan diet, more exposure to vitamin D in sunlight and higher levels of physical activity.
Older Okinawans possess a strong sense of purpose, a concept contained in the word ikigai, which translates roughly to “that which makes one’s life worth living.” Here, 84-year-old Fumiyasu Yamakawa practices his ikigai—daily exercises, including yoga, to train for an annual decathlon. Some centenarians find that a moai—a group of lifelong friends—provides a sense of purpose. These secure social networks serve as financial safety nets and provide emotional support in times of need.
The ritual of daily offerings to ancestors is a cornerstone of religious life on Okinawa. Families worship their ancestors at the family tomb on the Okinawan island of Taketomi. Once a year, families on Taketomi gather to worship their ancestors with a feast for the living as well as the dead.
An 88-year-old farmer who still works 11-hour days at the field, says, “I hardly ever get angry. I’m happy at work and I think that’s the medicine for a long life.”
Positive Outlook
When the personalities of Okinawans was tested, it was found that they were generally unstressed and maintained a positive outlook on life. They had strong coping skills and a deep sense of spirituality, meaning and purpose. Positive outlook in the Okinawans is thought to explain their reduced risk for dementia.
Unfortunately, the secrets accumulated by the elderly aren’t being imbibed with much enthusiasm by the present generation Okinawans. As in many other countries, Western fast food joints have invaded the island, which the youth prefer over traditional foods.
One youngster chomping down on a burger says: “I like thick, greasy food.” “Goya is bitter,” says another, “so I don’t like it much.” The degradation of the healthy eating habits has taken its toll on the island, considerably reducing life expectancy. The rates of obesity and lung cancer in the new generation are higher in Okinawa than compared to anywhere else in Japan.
It appears that when the western world is awakening to the benefits of living life like the Okinawans, their very own youth are leaving it behind. It’s sad really, but the truth is the healthy people of Okinawa are nothing but living relics whose secrets of a truly healthy life will be lost in just a few years time.
Unfortunately, the secrets accumulated by the elderly aren’t being imbibed with much enthusiasm by the present generation Okinawans. As in many other countries, Western fast food joints have invaded the island, which the youth prefer over traditional foods.
One youngster chomping down on a burger says: “I like thick, greasy food.” “Goya is bitter,” says another, “so I don’t like it much.” The degradation of the healthy eating habits has taken its toll on the island, considerably reducing life expectancy. The rates of obesity and lung cancer in the new generation are higher in Okinawa than compared to anywhere else in Japan.
It appears that when the western world is awakening to the benefits of living life like the Okinawans, their very own youth are leaving it behind. It’s sad really, but the truth is the healthy people of Okinawa are nothing but living relics whose secrets of a truly healthy life will be lost in just a few years time.
Okinawa is one of the world's best kept secrets. The culture is complex, yet simple, comfortable and classy. Healthy food there is plentiful, readily available and delicious. Okinawan's are humble, shy, and interesting. I never found a single dark street or alley that I could not walk safely at night. No guns, overall. Low violent crime. Okinawans socialize well. The extensive variety of fresh fruits, seafood and vegetables dishes lack boredom. Politeness and service are no better anywhere in the world. Whether you are low, middle or high income hardly matters when it comes to customer service. Okinawans are awesome. I found living there to be extremely enjoyable. Okinawa is a true paradise. The scenery is gorgeous, overall. Okinawa is the land of peace, uniqueness, creativity and vibrance.
~ Tom, New York.