Japan’s population as a whole is rapidly becoming one of the oldest in the world. By 2025 3.1 million residents in Tokyo alone will be age 65 or older. Because older adults tend to have more health needs, Japan wanted to find way to keep them healthier as they grow older, thereby keeping down national health costs. In one area especially – Nagano, home of the 1998 Olympics - it is working exceptionally well, despite some differences from other areas of Japan.
Tucked high in the Alps of Japan, Nagano has long and harsh winters; land suited for farming is limited and being far away from the coast, they don’t have the access to fresh salt-water fish as often as do their coastal brethren.
Yet the people living here enjoy one of the longest life spans in Japan: 87.2 years for women and 80.9 years for men. When compared to Hawaii, which has the highest average lifespan age in the United States at 84.7 for women and 78 for men, one must wonder what is their secret to longevity?
With the environment they live in, you would not expect that kind of longevity, but as it turns out their keys to living long are due to:
Diet
They weren’t always as healthy as they are now. In 1981, they had the highest rate of strokes in all of Japan. It turns out the cause was from eating a diet high in salt… from pickled vegetables. Once they reduced the amount of sodium they were eating by changing their diet, life expectancy rose by 3.5 years for women and 3 years for men in just 10 years. Now they eat very little salt.
Preventative care
The city found various incentives worked as far as getting people in Nagano to get regular medical checkups. Where they shopped started distributing health information as a way of educating people on their health. What they found is that by spending money on the front end, much could be saved in medical costs later. It ended up being a “know your numbers” campaign that improved overall health and longevity.
Staying active
The town of Nagano created over 100 walking routes and even regularly sponsors communal walks. They also encourage people to continue working once they reach retirement age or to find a second career to keep them active. Those that have a purpose in life end up being healthier and living longer.
Their keys to living long would work anywhere; it is just getting people to live by their three rules of longevity: eating a healthy diet, getting regular medical checkups and keeping active.
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