Long life Sushi and Co extend life

Raw fish for a long life? Japanese food is supposed to reduce mortality
(AED) - When it comes to age, Japanese people are ahead in the world. The high life expectancy is also associated with the healthy Japanese diet. A recent study from the British medical journal affirms the assumption that a diet rich in rice, vegetables and fish can contribute to a long life. A special treat in Japan is sushi with raw fish or even raw fish marinated, sashimi, but then without rice.

Almost 80,000 people between the ages of 45 and 70 participated in the study. They were asked about their diet and lifestyle.

Eating for a long life? Conventional sushi is made from raw fish and rice. Image: Lukas Gojda - fotolia

In Germany, it is a pyramid, in Japan a gyro: In 2005, the Japanese authorities had developed a "food gyrow" with four levels of high to low consumption in order to demonstrate to the population the principles of a healthy diet. The Japanese should eat a lot of grain, so rice, pasta and bread, followed by vegetables. On the third level are fish, soybeans, eggs and meat, while fruits and dairy products are eaten in small quantities.

Staff at the National Center for Global Health and Medicine in Tokyo linked the nutritional information of the study participants to later deaths. Using a scale of 0 to 70, the scientists determined how closely the subjects followed the recommendations of the Japanese Ministry of Health. The conclusion: Those who strongly followed the recommendations of the "food gyro" had a 15 percent lower mortality rate over the next 15 years. Each 10-point increase on the scale resulted in a 7 percent reduction in mortality.

But despite all research, statistics and their interpretation: there is no recipe for a long life. Life expectancy depends on many different factors such as lifestyle, health care and, not least, genes. How strong the influence of nutrition is, can only be speculated. (Heike Kreutz, aid)