One of the secrets to living a long life among the Japanese has been proven anew – with a study that involves consuming healthy food such as fruits and vegetables.
According to a study released on the website of the National Cancer Center of Japan by a group of Japanese doctors, eating enough vegetables and fruits high in dietary fiber and vitamins decreases the chance of mortality by nearly 10 per cent.
They have monitored around 95 thousand inhabitants of 11 Japanese prefectures, including Tokyo, since the early 1990s. They were between the ages of 40 and 60 at the start of the research. The main focus was on their diet and the amount of vegetables and fruits they consumed on a daily basis. All participants were split into five categories based on the volume of these goods consumed.
According to data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 2016 , Japan has the greatest life expectancy at birth among the G7 countries, notably for women. Japanese men and women have a greater life expectancy at 81.1 years and 87.1 years, respectively. This is nearly 10 years higher than the global average of 72.6 years.
Since the study began in the 90s, approximately 24,000 have passed away out of the 95,000 individuals. As a result, scientists were able to gather data and draw conclusions about the relationship between dietary choices and the risk of mortality.
According to the study’s findings, people in the two groups with the highest fruit consumption had an 8-9% lower risk of death than those in the lowest consumption group.
At the same time, the number of deaths from heart disease was instantly reduced by 13%. In terms of vegetable intake, persons who ate them on a regular basis had a 7-8% decreased risk of mortality.
