Okinawa Has Highest Concentration of Centenarians in the World

Credit: elisabethknowles.com

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the Chief Medical Correspondent for CNN, has traveled the world to learn the ways different people live meaningful and healthy lives. One of his expeditions took him to the Okinawa Prefecture in Japan. The string of islands has the highest concentration of centenarians (people aged 100 or older) in the world, and is known as the “Land of Immortals” because of it.

The elderly in Okinawa really are remarkable when looked at through Western lenses. A study from 2007 followed 22 centenarians over a 10-year period. The researchers found that two-thirds of the individuals were still functioning at a highly independent level at age 97.

In fact, some of the same researchers who published that individual paper are part of a larger study known as the Okinawa Centenarian Study (OCS). It’s the longest, continuously running study of peopled aged 100 and over, having been established in 1975. Over 1,000 centenarians have been examined in Okinawa since the OCS began nearly 45 years ago.

Not Simply Longevity

It’s important to point out that the Okinawan centenarians aren’t just simply living into old age; they’re still highly functional and healthy as well. They experience low rates of heart disease, certain cancers, dementia, obesity and other ailments.

According to Gupta, their bones are even stronger than people of similar ages around the world. Gupta also noticed how active the elderly in Okinawa were during his visit.

Many elderly people in Okinawa are part of a moai
or a group of friends.
Credit: bluezones.com

“Although I didn’t see people running outside or going to gyms,” he writes, “I did see plenty of active elderly people: gardening in their yards, doing tai chi in the park, riding bikes and playing a croquet-like game called gateball with their friends.”

This is quite different than what many of us have seen in the United States and other western nations. It’s common for our elderly populations (people in their 80s and 90s) to be in care homes, still living but not doing much day in and day out. It’s certainly interesting to consider why this might be the case.

So how are the Okinawan centenarians living so healthy for so long? Dr. Gupta describes two terms he came to learn while he was in Okinawa: “ikigai” and “moai.”

Ikigai means roughly a sense of purpose in life. It is the driving force for daily life, a reason to get the day going. In Japan, the idea of “retirement” doesn’t really exist as it does in Western countries. Moai is essentially your social group, people who share common interests and are invested in each other’s well-being.

These two ideas certainly encourage a longer life-span. However, the Okinawan diet is perhaps the leading reason why the centenarian population is thriving in the region.

The Japanese “Bento box” is one way to manage portions
Credit: triplelights.com

Gupta ate one of his meals in Okinawa with Craig Willcox. Willcox is one of the authors of the previously mentioned study, as well as co-author of the book “The Okinawa Program.” According to Willcox, Okinawans usually eat 18 different foods a day, including seven kinds of fruits and vegetables. Overall, they eat more than 200 kinds of food and spices regularly. But it’s not just what they eat. It’s also how they eat.

The Japanese concept of hara hachi bu means that you stop eating when your stomach is 80 percent full. People eat more slowly and consume smaller portions of food. This translates to fewer calories consumed, and studies have shown that reduced caloric intake is beneficial and associated with longevity. The average American man consumes 2,500 calories per day, while in Okinawa the number is closer to 1,900.

It’s fascinating that a specific place on our planet has such a high concentration of healthy centenarians. If you’d like to live a long, healthy life, perhaps take notes from the people of Okinawa.