Okinawa Centenarian Study
Encyclopedia
The Okinawa Centenarian Study is a study of the elderly people of Okinawa, Japan
. The study, funded by Japan's ministry of health, is the largest of its kind ever carried out. Over the years, the scientists involved have had access to more than 600 Okinawan centenarians.
The elderly of Okinawa enjoy what may be the longest life-expectancy in the world,
and are also known for enjoying relatively good health while doing so.
The three leading killers in the West--coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer--occur in Okinawans with the lowest frequency in the world.
The goal of the study is to find out why this is the case.
Compared to Westerners, the islanders age slowly and are about 80% less likely to get heart disease. They're also a quarter less likely to get breast or prostate cancer. In addition, they have half the risk of getting colon cancer and are less likely than Westerners to get dementia. On average they spend 97% of their lives free of any disabilities.
Okinawans are known for their infusion of various Chinese and Japanese medicines. Ryukyus had no choice but to develop their own medicine because of their isolation.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The study, funded by Japan's ministry of health, is the largest of its kind ever carried out. Over the years, the scientists involved have had access to more than 600 Okinawan centenarians.
The elderly of Okinawa enjoy what may be the longest life-expectancy in the world,
and are also known for enjoying relatively good health while doing so.
The three leading killers in the West--coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer--occur in Okinawans with the lowest frequency in the world.
The goal of the study is to find out why this is the case.
Compared to Westerners, the islanders age slowly and are about 80% less likely to get heart disease. They're also a quarter less likely to get breast or prostate cancer. In addition, they have half the risk of getting colon cancer and are less likely than Westerners to get dementia. On average they spend 97% of their lives free of any disabilities.
Okinawans are known for their infusion of various Chinese and Japanese medicines. Ryukyus had no choice but to develop their own medicine because of their isolation.
See also
- Research into centenariansResearch into centenariansA centenarian is a person who has attained the age of 100 years or more. Research on centenarians is becoming increasingly widespread with clinical and general population studies now having been conducted in France, Hungary, Japan, Italy, Finland, Denmark, the United States, and China. Centenarians...
- New England Centenarian StudyNew England Centenarian StudyThe New England Centenarian Study is a study of persons aged 100 and over in the Boston area. It is one of the oldest, largest and most prestigious studies in the USA and the world....
- CentenarianCentenarianA centenarian is a person who is or lives beyond the age of 100 years. Because current average life expectancies across the world are less than 100, the term is invariably associated with longevity. Much rarer, a supercentenarian is a person who has lived to the age of 110 or more, something only...