The Okinawa Centenarian Study is a study of the
elderly people of
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
,
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.
[Want to live to be 100?](_blank)
The Guardian newspaper. Published June 7, 2001. Accessed February 8, 2009.
The elderly of Okinawa enjoy what may be the longest life expectancy in the world, and are also known for enjoying the relatively good health while doing so.
The three leading killers in the West—
coronary heart disease
Coronary artery disease (CAD), also called coronary heart disease (CHD), ischemic heart disease (IHD), myocardial ischemia, or simply heart disease, involves the reduction of blood flow to the heart muscle due to build-up of atherosclerotic pl ...
, 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 are 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.
See also
*
Centenarian
A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100 years. Because life expectancies worldwide are below 100 years, the term is invariably associated with longevity. In 2012, the United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living centen ...
*
New England Centenarian Study
*
Research into centenarians
References
External links
Okinawa Centenarian Study
Longevity study projects
Health in Japan
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