Living Longer, But Sicker Lives

Do you know where the healthiest place on Earth is? The answer is Okinawa--Japan's most southern state. It is a chain of 169 islands stretching for more than 1,000km. There is said to be over 400 people living on the island who are over 100 years old. The average life expectancy for a man on the island is 78 and 86 for a woman. This article caught my eye, especially after reading a post about how most people are living longer, but sicker lives. A comprehensive analysis, including 500 papers from authors in 50 countries, was done to review health problems around the world.

^{Image Credit: Blue Zones}

Looking over the results we can see that in 1990, the biggest global health issue was childhood underweight caused by malnutrition, measles, malaria, and other infectious diseases. Now the concern is no longer with children, but with adult aliments such as high blood pressure, tobacco smoking, and alcohol use, which top the charts for the biggest health concerns. But we are living longer; since 1970 the average life expectancy has risen globally in all but eight countries. Currently the global average lifespan for a man is 67.5 (10.5 years less than in Okinawa) and 73.3 (12.7 less) for a woman.

The study also shows that developing countries have made huge strides in public health, curbing diseases such as HIV and malaria, and battling nutritional deficiencies.

This is also demonstrated in the successful fight against childhood diseases and communicable diseases. Deaths in children under five years old have declined almost 60 percent in the past four years. Improvements in sanitation and vaccinations have led to a 42 percent drop in deaths from diarrheal diseases, lower respiratory infections, meningitis, and other common infectious diseases.

^{Image Credit: Kids Go Global}

But it's not all good news. While we've been able to fight against infectious diseases, non-infectious diseases, specifically heart disease and stroke, accounted for two of every three deaths globally in 2010. Diabetes, smoking, alcohol, HIV/AIDS, and malaria have caused an increase in deaths among 15 to 49 year olds over the past 20 years. HIV/AIDs are also still a major concern in sub-Saharan Africa, where life expectancy has declined overall by one to seven years, and young adult deaths have increased by 500 percente since 1970 in certain areas.

^{Image Credit: Institution for Health Metrics and Evaluation}

I'm sure it's no surprise that this study also found that we eat and drink too much, and not of the right things. Alcohol overconsumption is a major problem in countries in Eastern Europe, accounting for almost a quarter of the total disease burden. 3.4 million deaths in 2010 could be linked to obesity and that number is on the rise. Deaths attributable to dietary risk factors and physical inactivity have increased by 50 percent in the past 20 years. "Overall, we're consuming too much sodium, trans fat, processed meat, and sugar-sweetened beverages, and not enough fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fiber, calcium, and omega-3 fatty acids." In North America and Western Europe, tobacco smoking (and second-hand smoke) is still the top risk factor. This hasn't changed since 1990 and globally it has risen from the third to second leading cause of disease.

So what's the secret to a long, healthy life? According to the Okinawans it's their food and their attitude towards life. They work hard--some in their 80s still work 11 hour days on their farm--but they don't stress. Their diet consists largely of rice, fish, and vegetables. The Okinawans also eat pig ears (low in fat and high in calcium), tofu, bitter gourd (goiya), and sweet potatoes.

^{Image Credit: Pryoenergen}

The people on the island want to live longer to spend time with their children and grandchildren. There is a saying found on the islands, "At 70 you are still a child, at 80 a young man or woman. And if at 90 someone from Heaven invites you over, tell him: 'Just go away, and come back when I am 100.'"