Eat more and sleep less. Secrets of Japanese longevity | Healthy Life

The age of 20 thousand Japanese has passed the 100-year mark. 40 years ago there were barely a hundred of them.

doctor Shigeaki Hinohara passed away . He lived for 105 years, seeing patients at the St. Luke's International Clinic in Tokyo, which he headed, until his last day. The doctor left behind a notebook in which his every day was scheduled for 5 months in advance. He proved from his own life experience that the secret of longevity has really been conquered by the people of Japan, and thanks to his medical education, he was able to develop the ideal recipe for prolonging life. Hinohara traveled around the world giving lectures, trying to convey knowledge to the maximum number of people. These are the simple commandments of true longevity, which we took from his book “Live Long, Live Well,” which has sold 1.2 million copies worldwide.

Where do they live the longest?

A country	Men	Women
Japan	77,9	85,1
Sweden	77,6	82,6
Spain	75,9	82,8
Australia	76,4	82,0
Canada	76,7	81,9
Switzerland	75,9	82,3
France	75,2	82,8
Norway	76,0	81,9
Belgium	75,7	81,9
Russia	66,5	77,1

Timeline of Japan's oldest inhabitants since 1992

WITH	By	Name	Floor	Age when you were the oldest	Years of life	A place of death
???	June 16, 1992	Waka Shirahama[28]	AND	? — 114	March 23, 1878 - June 16, 1992 114 years, 85 days	Miyazaki
June 16, 1992	July 12, 1995 (&&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 &&&&&&&&&&&&026.&&&&&026 days)	Tane Ikai[28]	AND	113 — 116	January 18, 1879 - July 12, 1995 116 years, 175 days	IT
July 12, 1995	May 4, 1997 (&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 year &&&&&&&&&&&0296.&&&&&0296 days)	Suyo Utagawa[28]	AND	111 — 113	January 19, 1884 - May 4, 1997 113 years, 105 days	Yamaguchi
May 4, 1997	June 20, 1998 (&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 year &&&&&&&&&&&&047.&&&&&047 days)	Suekiku Miyanaga[28]	AND	113 — 114	April 7, 1884 - June 20, 1998 114 years, 74 days	Kagoshima
June 20, 1998	July 31, 1998 ( &&&&&&&&&&&&&041.&&&&&041 days)	Asa Takii[28]	AND	114	April 28, 1884 - July 31, 1998 114 years, 94 days	Hiroshima
July 31, 1998	November 18, 1998 ( &&&&&&&&&&&&0110.&&&&&0110 days)	Tase Matsunaga[28]	AND	114	May 11, 1884 - November 18, 1998 114 years, 191 days	Niigata
November 18, 1998	February 12, 1999 (&&&&&&&&&&&&086.&&&&&086 days)	Yasu Aquino[29]	AND	113	March 1, 1885 - February 12, 1999 113 years, 348 days	Shizuoka
February 12, 1999	April 29, 1999 ( &&&&&&&&&&&&&076.&&&&&076 days)	Denzo Ishizaki[30]	M	112	October 20, 1886 - April 29, 1999 112 years, 191 days	Ibaraki
April 29, 1999	August 6, 1999 ( &&&&&&&&&&&&&099.&&&&&099 days)	Kayo Fiji[31]	AND	111	March 12, 1888 - August 6, 1999 111 years, 147 days	IT
August 6, 1999	August 14, 2001 (&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 &&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08 days)	Mie Ishiguro[31]	AND	111 — 113	June 2, 1888 - August 14, 2001 113 years, 73 days	Hokkaido
August 14, 2001	January 3, 2002 ( &&&&&&&&&&&&0142.&&&&&0142 days)	Matsuno Oikawa[31]	AND	112	February 20, 1889 - January 3, 2002 112 years, 317 days	Iwate
January 3, 2002	September 28, 2003 (&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 year &&&&&&&&&&&0268.&&&&&0268 days)	Yukichi Chuganji[31]	M	112 — 114	March 23, 1889 - September 28, 2003 114 years, 189 days	Fukuoka
September 28, 2003	November 13, 2003 (&&&&&&&&&&&&&046.&&&&&046 days)	Mitoyo Kawate[31]	AND	114	May 15, 1889 - November 13, 2003 114 years, 182 days	Hiroshima
November 13, 2003	April 5, 2005 (&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 year &&&&&&&&&&&0143.&&&&&0143 days)	Hurray Koyama[31]	AND	113 — 114	August 30, 1890 - April 5, 2005 114 years, 218 days	Fukuoka
April 5, 2005	August 13, 2007 (&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 &&&&&&&&&&&0130.&&&&&0130 days)	Yone Minagawa[31]	AND	112 — 114	January 4, 1893 - August 13, 2007 114 years, 221 days	Fukuoka
August 13, 2007	August 19, 2007 ( &&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06 days)	Shitsu Nakano[31]	AND	113	January 1, 1894 - August 19, 2007 113 years, 230 days	Fukuoka
August 19, 2007	February 22, 2008 ( &&&&&&&&&&&&0187.&&&&&0187 days)	Tsuneyo Toyonaga[32]	AND	113	May 21, 1894 - February 22, 2008 113 years, 277 days	Kochi
February 22, 2008	April 5, 2008 ( &&&&&&&&&&&&&043.&&&&&043 days)	Kaku Yamanaka	AND	113	December 11, 1894 - April 5, 2008 113 years, 116 days	IT
April 5, 2008	May 2, 2010 (&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 years &&&&&&&&&&&&027.&&&&&027 days)	Kama Chinan[33]	AND	112 — 114	May 10, 1895 - May 2, 2010 114 years, 357 days	Okinawa
May 2, 2010	December 2, 2011 (&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 year &&&&&&&&&&&0214.&&&&&0214 days)	Chiyono Hasegawa[34]	AND	113 — 115	November 20, 1896 - December 2, 2011 115 years, 12 days	Saga
December 2, 2011	June 12, 2013 (&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 year &&&&&&&&&&&0192.&&&&&0192 days)	Jiroemon Kimura	M	114 — 116	April 19, 1897 - June 12, 2013 116 years, 54 days	Kyoto
June 12, 2013	April 1, 2015 (&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 year &&&&&&&&&&&0293.&&&&&0293 days)	Misao Okawa[35]	AND	115 — 117	March 5, 1898 - April 1, 2015 117 years, 27 days	Osaka
April 1, 2015	September 27, 2015 ( &&&&&&&&&&&&0179.&&&&&0179 days)	Anonymous from Tokyo	AND	115	March 15, 1900 - September 27, 2015 115 years, 196 days	Tokyo
September 27, 2015	April 21, 2018 (&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 years &&&&&&&&&&&0206.&&&&&0206 days)	Nabi Tajima[36]	AND	115 — 117	August 4, 1900 - April 21, 2021 117 years, 260 days	Kagoshima
April 21, 2018	July 22, 2021 (92 days)	Chie Miyako	AND	116 — 117	May 2, 1901 - July 22, 2021 117 years, 81 days	Kanagawa
July 22, 2018	(&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 years &&&&&&&&&&&0346.&&&&&0346 days)	Kane Tanaka	AND	115 —	Born January 2, 1903 &&&&&&&&&&&0118.&&&&&0118 years &&&&&&&&&&&&0182.&&&&&0182 days	Lives in Fukuoka

"Eat in moderation"

Have you seen a lot of fat Japanese people? Except for those who take part in national sumo wrestling, and even then they are deliberately eaten. And the average Japanese, including all members of the imperial family, eat not only correctly, but most importantly - little! A cup of coffee, a glass of orange juice - that’s all breakfast. Lunch should ideally be skipped while doing something interesting and exciting. At the very least, eat something small. And dinner should consist of vegetables, rice and fish, the doctor believed. Meat can be consumed twice a week, 100 g.

Takumi at his best

Takumi in Japanese is a person who has achieved the greatest mastery in his field. Such masters are needed always and everywhere. For example, Steve Jobs, who appreciated stylish and elegant things, once met a real Japanese takumi, who mastered a unique porcelain making technique. The Japanese believe that it is takumi who often become long-lived because they live by their work, and their skill and talent begin to be valued at a very high level. In addition, takumi do not sit idly by; they are constantly searching for new techniques and techniques that will help them achieve even greater mastery in an already familiar matter.

"Share and communicate"

Shigeaki Hinohara gave at least 150 lectures a year even in the last years of his life. Each of them is at least 1.5 hours. At the same time, he lectured without sitting down for a minute. In his opinion, the energy of interested listeners gives a huge amount of strength. Don’t get hung up on yourself, look for interesting (and not so interesting) interlocutors and share your experience with them. Treasure your family and spend a lot of time communicating with them. The doctor himself celebrated his 105th birthday surrounded by 50 relatives on an exotic island.

Notes

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“Rely on yourself, not on doctors”

Of course, you shouldn’t neglect going to specialists, but you shouldn’t make a cult out of them. Hinohara himself necessarily underwent an annual medical examination, but was cautious about the doctors’ findings. He said: we must understand that modern science is not yet able to cure everything. “When a doctor recommends that you undergo certain tests or undergo surgery, ask him whether he would advise the same to his children, wife or other relatives,” Hinohara advised. Don't expect miracles from your doctor, don't demand the impossible. Sometimes friendly communication, an animal, contemplation of nature can work wonders more than a pill or a scalpel.

Healthy lifestyle of the Japanese

Since childhood, the Japanese have led an active lifestyle, practicing martial arts, especially karate. They prefer to walk or ride bicycles, and often climb stairs. People drive cars less often than in other countries. Therefore, if you want to be beautiful and healthy, you need to take 10,000 steps a day.

By adopting this lifestyle, you can easily lose weight and improve your health. In addition, Japanese centenarians claim that an active lifestyle prolongs life. Here are some effective tips:

sleep less, move more;
if you want to live a long time, change your usual diet and switch to plant foods;
do breathing exercises;
you should eat seafood high in iodine;

If you apply these tips in life, you can not only become healthy, but also extend your life by several decades.

A typical image of everyday Japanese life: a person goes to the station, stands waiting for the train, stands in the carriage, walks to the next station, then to work, then back. Public transport is standard in Japan. And a car is a luxury. Many employees even work standing in front of the computer.

And one gets the impression that everything is created so that a person spends as much time as possible in an upright position. Even many public toilets in the empire are not made in the Western style, in the form of a toilet, but like an ordinary village “backlash-cluset” - because this is healthier for the intestines.

Expert opinion

Honorary President of the Russian Association of Gerontologists and Geriatricians, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Shabalin:

— According to the Ministry of Health, the average life expectancy in Russia today is 72.6 years. And this is not the limit. Scientists believe that the life expectancy of some people can reach 120-150 years. This age is embedded in the human genetic program.

It is valuable that not only the duration, but also the quality of life has increased. According to the new WHO age classification, 45 years is the upper limit of young age. And 200-300 years ago he was considered senile.

Rules for centenarians

The secret of longevity Boris Bocharov, magazine “60 years is not age” (published on the website “Third Age”)

There are many hypotheses about how to extend life. Which one is closer to the truth? Or maybe longevity requires not one, but several prerequisites that help you live long and not get sick?

Genetics or lifestyle?

It is known that 30-50% of centenarians had people in their family who lived to an old age. But is it right to put genetic predisposition first? After all, families maintain a certain way of life for generations, which, I must say, also plays an important role in how long we live.

And here’s another important aspect: is there a relationship between a person’s health and his intelligence? This is what observations show.

Smart people lead healthier lifestyles. In addition, there are areas of human activity in which success and recognition come with age, for example, the work of scientists. At the general annual meetings of the Russian Academy of Sciences, it is striking that this is a meeting of Russian elders, most of them vigorous in body and bright in mind.

The high average age of members of the Academy of Sciences is only partly due to the fact that it is not young candidates who are elected to it, but older doctors of science. Something else is more important. With age, perhaps the most significant incentives for life become demand and independence, which is exactly what pundits have. They are awarded titles for life, they are financially secure, continue to do what they love, enjoy prestige and even receive Nobel Prizes.

Potential centenarians

Over the past decades, biologists and gerontologists, doctors of sciences Leonid Anatolyevich and Natalya Sergeevna Gavrilov, have been studying the factors of longevity and the prerequisites for longevity at Moscow State University. Unfortunately, after perestroika, their work began to receive insufficient attention, and they were forced to leave to work in the United States. The published results of their research caused a sensation in American scientific circles, which was also reflected in the press.

The Gavrilovs examined data collected on 991 centenarians born in the US between 1875 and 1899, and using information from the US Census and Social Security Administration records, they reconstructed the family histories of 198 of them to see if they had anything in common.

It turned out that first-born children have a 1.7 times higher chance of living to 100 years than their younger brothers and sisters. An even more significant factor is the age of the mother at the time of birth. If the mother is under 25 years old, the child is twice as likely to reach the century mark. Even for reaching the age of 70, it is important whether the mother was young.

Scientists believe that the younger the mother, the less likely it is that she could become a carrier of a hidden infection that could harm the health of the fetus. In addition, younger mothers have healthier ovaries.

Maybe the first eggs are of better quality than the subsequent ones. Indeed, in mammals, eggs are consumed according to the order of maturation. “If the most viable eggs are used first, this may explain why children of the youngest mothers live especially long,” says L.A. Gavrilov.

But no statistical relationship has been found between the age to which a child can live and the age of the father. Although a recent study in European royal houses has established an as yet unexplained pattern: among older fathers, sons live four years longer than daughters. But this is a local and statistically unreliable result.

About bachelors, smokers and millionaires

There are many hypotheses about what prevents us from living long. However, if you check them with impartial statistics, as the Gavrilovs did, it turns out that some of them are not confirmed by anything. Singles and childless people live as long as married people and those with many children. Height, if within normal limits, has nothing to do with life expectancy. And it is not millionaires who are in the forefront of centenarians, but modest workers of cities and villages, as well as devoted servants of science.

But here's what's been proven: smoking shortens life. In fact, I can’t remember which of our academicians smokes. By the way, in the USA, life insurance for smokers is provided at a very strict rate. True, after 90 years the connection between age and smoking is leveled.

Moderate consumption of alcohol (better than dry red wines) even promotes longevity, and I saw academicians drinking in abundance.

Thin people live longer

It turns out that you need to take care of your figure not only in order to look good, but also in order to live long. According to statistics, being overweight by even 10-15% reduces the chances of becoming a long-liver.

In addition, excess weight negatively affects mental abilities. This was confirmed by French scientists. Over the course of 5 years, they studied 2,200 men and women aged 32 to 62 years. They were asked to complete tests to determine their level of mental ability. At the beginning of the study, normal and thin people completed 56% of the test, while those who were significantly overweight completed only 44%. After 5 years, the indicators of well-fed citizens dropped to 37.5%, while those of people with normal weight did not change. Whatever one may say, being thin is more profitable - it makes you smarter and you live longer.

Mind and health go hand in hand

Scientists at Harvard University monitored the health of 700 people for 30 years. They examined their health and conducted mental development tests at age seven and thirty years later. It was found that children who showed high mental abilities, as adults, were distinguished by good health, and those who did not shine with intelligence in the first grade grew up frail.

A similar large-scale study was recently conducted by the British Council. 1 thousand people from different social groups and professions were put under control. It turned out that among people of the same age, the mortality rate of those who have been engaged in mental work all their lives is 4 times lower than that of those who have not been engaged in it. Scientists emphasize that one of the secrets of longevity is constant intellectual stress.

Rules for centenarians

There are general rules on how to prolong life, which reflect common sense and the experience accumulated by generations.

Nutrition should be low in calories, contain plenty of vitamins and a minimum of sugar, and be age appropriate. For example, fish is healthier for the elderly, while children need meat.
Physical exercise also contributes to longevity. Even 8 minutes of exercise a day, scientists say, prolongs life.
Long-term stress causes premature aging of the immune system and should be avoided. But short-term stress leads to increased vitality and increases life expectancy.
It is harmful to accumulate negative emotions in yourself. Those who never throw them out are more susceptible to disease.
An active social life is beneficial. Psychologists recommend having your own point of view on everything. A person who lives consciously is much less likely to become depressed, which means he remains healthy.
Scientists from Flinders University (Australia) have concluded that sociable people live longer than withdrawn people. A happy marriage and good family relationships are essential for longevity.
To extend your life, you need to constantly train your brain: work in your specialty as long as possible, play intellectual games, solve crosswords and puzzles.
Lack of sleep can be a cause of diseases such as obesity and diabetes, which shorten our lives. But sleeping in a cool room at a temperature no higher than 17-18ºС helps preserve youth.

As you can see, there are many ways to extend your age. Do not miss your chance!

Antioxidants are known to slow down aging. Antioxidants of plant origin include: Siberian ginseng (protection against stress, but you must remember that its use increases blood pressure); ginkgo biloba (mental stimulant); sea thistle (liver protection); turmeric longa (anti-inflammatory effect); blueberries (anti-rheumatoid effect and improvement of vision).

Activated carbon and other sorbents are useful for the overall health of the body. These drugs act as filters, limiting the entry of toxic substances into the body from the intestines. However, since they are not selective sorbents and also absorb useful substances, such as vitamins, from the intestines, they should not be consumed constantly. It is necessary to conduct periodic courses of taking sorbents. In addition, it must be borne in mind that the use of activated carbon can cause constipation.

Portal “Eternal Youth” 01/11/2010