The book concerns an epidemiological study (The Okinawa Centarian Study) that was made by following the population of the island of Okinawa in Japan during the course of 25 years. On this particular island, more people than anywhere else in the world live to see their 100th birthday - and, what is more, they lead energetic lives in good health.
The Okinawa diet is a low-calory diet rich in vegetables and fish, and the in people drink lots of water and green tea. Stress is a more or less unknown phenomenon. Strenuous exercise is not practiced there; physical exercise is performed at a leisurely pace in the form of tai chi, dancing, walking, and gardening.
Forms of therapy that prevent and cure are also widespread there; one of them is acupressure in which the body's acupuncture points are stimulated with the fingers with which the detoxifying organs are stimulated. Meditation is also popular just as the importance of having a meaning of life is stressed.
Based on the study, the authors Suzuki, Bradley Willcox, a geriatrician at Harvard Medical School, and his brother D. Craig Willcox, a professor at the Okinawa University, have concluded that lifestyle is more of a decicive factor in increased life expectancy than genetics.
80% less elderly in Okinawa have coronary thrombosis compared to people in the West, and the ones who do have a coronary thrombosis have twice as great a chance of surviving. Diseases such as dementia, hormone-related cancer, and cerebral haemmorhage are extremely rare on the Japanese island. Particularly the elderly people's quality of life have astonished the authors. The elderly rarely suffer from stress and they continue to play an active role in the community. The diet of the island's population mostly consists of large amounts of fruit, vegetables, and fish. The book offers references on how to achieve a longer life with increased life quality.
Reference:
The Okinawa Program, 2001
