Soyfoods
in
Diet
Help
Reach
100-Year
Age
On
Japanese
Island
of
Okinawa,
Study
Says
WASHINGTON,
Aug.
9,
2001
--
Diets
containing
soyfoods
have
contributed
to
the
longevity
of
people
of
Okinawa,
Japan,
who
have
lived
to
be
100
years
of
age
or
older,
according
to
a
report
in
a
Johns
Hopkins
Medical
Institutions
publication.
The
September
issue
of
the
Johns
Hopkins
Medical
Letter,
``Health
After
50,''
reports
on
a
study
of
600
Okinawan
centenarians,
or
residents
who
are
100
or
older.
The
study
found
that
the
centenarians
shared
certain
lifestyle
factors,
one
of
which
was
a
low-calorie
diet
that
included
an
abundance
of
soyfoods,
vegetables
and
fish.
Other
common
factors
among
the
group
of
healthy
elderly
were
regular
physical
activity,
moderate
alcohol
intake,
and
``strong
belief
systems
and
social
networks,''
the
Johns
Hopkins
Medical
Letter
said.
Okinawans
have
80
percent
fewer
heart
attacks
than
Americans,
the
publication
said.
Residents
of
the
Japanese
island
also
have
75
percent
fewer
cancers,
including
breast
cancer
and
cancer
of
the
ovaries
in
women
and
prostate
cancer
in
men.
Previous
health
studies
have
attributed
the
role
of
soy,
which
is
consumed
in
much
greater
amounts
in
Asian
diets
than
in
American
diets,
to
better
health
among
Asian
residents,
particularly
in
avoiding
cancers
and
cardiovascular
diseases.
Okinawa
has
the
highest
proportion
of
centenarians
in
the
world.
For
every
population
segment
of
100,000
persons
in
Okinawa,
more
than
33
are
aged
100
years
or
older.
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