Since the Japanese people who live on the island of Okinawa are the longest lived in the world and suffer from far lower rates of diseases common in the West, researchers have tried to figure out what makes Okinawa so special. One of the factors is the traditional Japanese diet, which is rich in fish, seasonal fruits and vegetables, and soybeans. According to mythology, the protein-filled soybean was a gift from the gods.
Soy Products
Miso soup is one of the most common Japanese dishes and is eaten at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and as a snack in between. The soup is made from fermented soybean paste, fish and sea kelp. Calcium-rich soybeans also are processed into tofu, tempeh and soymilk.
Health Benefits
Soy products are full of protein but low in calories. They also are good for the heart. According to nutritionist Ong Lei Kuen Hazel, isoflavanoids in soy slow plaque from forming in the arteries. Researchers are conducting studies to determine whether the low rates of prostrate and breast cancer among Japanese are due to their soy consumption, but results still are inconclusive.
Seven Countries Study
Ancel Keys, director of the Laboratory of Physiological Hygiene at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, began his "Seven Countries Study" in 1958. He and his co-researchers studied the lifestyle and rate of coronary heart disease of 12,763 middle-aged men who lived in seven countries: Japan, Greece, Italy, the United States, Finland, Yugoslavia and the Netherlands. They found that heart disease was uncommon in Japan, Greece and southern Italy. These countries shared some similarities, such as a diet heavy in fruits, grains, vegetables, fish and beans. In Japan's case, the beans were mainly soy. Keys concluded that diet was the number one factor for coronary heart disease. Other lifestyle aspects, however, such as physical activity, close family ties and less stress probably also contributed to the statistics.
Japanese Lifestyle and Longevity
In 1992, S. Mizushima, E.H. Moriguchi and their colleagues published the results of their study in the Japanese magazine Hypertension Research. Their examination of how dietary factors related to cardiovascular disease centered on Okinawans, and linked the Japanese lifestyle to the longevity of the 600 Okinawan centenarians studied. Soybeans were deemed highly beneficial, as well as a high intake of vegetables and fish, and very light consumption of red meat and alcohol.
Soy and Menopause
The Okinawa study also found that the women of Okinawa did not experience many of the symptoms of menopause and aging so common in the West, such as hot flashes and hip fractures. According to Ong Lei Kuen Hazel, the high intake of phytoestrogen contained in soy products might be the reason why Okinawan women don't need hormone replacement therapy.
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