rss feedCNN looks at active seniors – and we mean active – on Okinawa (Oh, they like tofu)
When I was searching for information about the diets of centenarians on Okinawa, I came across this CNN video.
Michael Booth’s recent article in The Sunday Times about people living so long in this part of Japan sparked my interest. Of course, tofu was involved.
It looks like there is a combination of factors – including eating bean curd – that is contributing to long and active lives for many Okinawans. Apparently, there is a high percentage of residents who live past the age of 100.
One observation: Okinawans are living their lives with the thought that something – longevity in this case – is possible.
And they don’t have the diseases that have surfaced in North America, according to CNN.
In the video, Craig Willcox, a Canadian gerontologist and medical anthropologist who has studied Okinawans and their diets, pointed out differences in thinking:
We still refer to these types of diseases as age-associated disease back in North America. Well, people don’t do that anymore here. There’s tremendous amount of control that people have over these diseases if they live the right lifestyle.
I know it’s easy to dismiss certain ideas or dreams as impossible to achieve.
And I know it’s easy for people to scoff at others doing group exercises to music that isn’t popular in the United States.
It’s easy to chuckle at an elderly woman dancing and swaying her hips.
But the CNN video is worth a look.
Besides, it’s rare when you get to see a 90-year-old woman anywhere in the world scramble up citrus trees to pick fruit.
I think it’s a good idea to ask more questions about why people live so long on Okinawa. You know, I am a former journalist.
But it is worth taking time to investigate.
There are many places in the world that I’d like to visit. This place is one of them.
UPDATE: As a journalist, I came across the topic of living longer when I interviewed Leroy Hood, a medical doctor, biologist and leading visionary based in Seattle.
He is the co-founder of the Institute for Systems Biology. He believes that a person’s DNA map can help doctors predict and prevent disease and illness.
The fascinating question-and-answer article with Hood is here.
SECOND UPDATE: Here’s an article that gives more information about Okinawa and tofu.
