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WHO: Japan, San Marino top life-expectancy list

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i can't help thinking that japan's much-trumpeted life expectancy has already peaked... watched an interesting documentary about okinawa's life expectancy and the basic point was that okinawans had evolved to suit a particularly strict and minimal diet of vegetables, but abundance had seriously jeopardised that in recent times

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Japan's life expectancy will decrease in the future. Japanese older/elderly people above age of 50 have very good balance of nutrition, but nowadays yonuger people are likely to have a lot of cup noodles, humburgers, sweets, etc with less vegetables almost everyday. It means their nutritions are extremely bad. A lot of youngers eat junk sweets for 3 meals. I don't think these youngers would have longer life in their future.

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As above. People start changing their eating habits when their young and the people who switched to McDonalds in their teens are not old enough to be dying of the health effects yet. They will though.

The U.S., which spends the highest amount of money per person on health care—$6,719, also still lags on child mortality compared to other advanced nations. If this is not an argument for public health care, what is?

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kwatt is right. Also, food quality is decreasing as supermarkets force the closure of small shops and small farmers. Y They use mass growing techniques with loads of chemicals and pesticides.

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Where does it equate food with mortality in this?

You are all on a health-hype that is going to take you to nowhere but health concerns. I know lots of elderly who at over 80 and their food diet is nothing as yous are suggesting here. Better be careful of them fresh eggs, they may give you cholestrol-type of attitude is really starting to get on my nerve of late.

I think it is mental attitude, and mental feeding that influences longlife. Along with regular eating, and perhaps on occassion, the medical world, mental attitiude is the strongest influence towards how many years we all gain.

Why do the African continent area decrease? I dont believe the reason given here.

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it also makes sense to me that the tough circumstances the japanese lived through during the war years had a beneficial effect in the long-run for the generation that survived. easy lifestyles don't make you resilient

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I`d love to know what the average Japanese life expectancy is excluding Okinawa.

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"yous"? "them fresh eggs"do you mean "you are".."those fresh eggs"?as a senior citizen living in the uk maybe a better grasp of the language could be expected from you. Mental attitude does have an effect..but it it now where near as important as a healthy diet,i suppose you know quite a few smokers also past the age of 80? does that mean that smoking is good for health? Obviously the africans die young because they are all miserable buggers..following you logic.

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illsayit - Why African people can not have long life? I think because there are not good and not enough water there. Most drink dirty water everyday make them sick and there are not enough medicine for patients and not enough water for agriculture. Without water no one can live longer. I say water is everything to survive. African people would have longer life if they can have clean good enough water.

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illsayit - Why African people can not have long life? I think because there are not good and not enough water there. Most drink dirty water everyday make them sick and there are not enough medicine for patients and not enough water for agriculture. Without water no one can live longer. I say water is everything to survive. African people would have longer life if they can have clean good enough water.

not to mention war and lack of access to modern medical care

i would also like to see statistics of life expectancy of japan excluding okinawa. using okinawa as an example to reflect the lifestyles of mainland japanese is rather misleading, especially when you consider consider that it only recently became part of the country

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The U.S., which spends the highest amount of money per person on health care—$6,719, also still lags on child mortality compared to other advanced nations. If this is not an argument for public health care, what is?

i think this statistic is rather distorted by a profiteering private health insurance system. yes, i also hope the obama administration will be able to return healthcare in the US back to the sane state it was before Tricky Dicky ruined it

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This only mentions Japanese women having the longest life expectancy. It doesn't say anything about the men in their 60 hour p/w drudge. Are the mens' statistics too damning to publish?

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Hey Bento! Yes my English sux, Im from Australia, dont like following yous Pomee's rules! Thats why we got kicked down under. And Ive been living in Japan, dont you know the word anatatachi? or are you just into the food of Japan, Bento-kun?

And actually I do know some over 80s smokers, though thats not the topic here. I imagine if you eat regulary that is pretty healthy. Have you heard of them new style diets that they call cleansing? or detox?

Mind I have heard of people who live only on drinking and no eating. To me any style of eating is reasonable, perhaps over-eating or under-eating gives certain effects, but saying one is better than the other, is hypocritical and controlling and abusive.No?

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Disillusioned: Japanese men also generally live longer than European or American men.

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Remember: those Japanese who are now 80-100 years old, lived their youth during the war, with the men fighting in the army, and in many cases their nutrition being very sparse. During the late days of WWII people hardly had enough rice for ex, in Tokyo.

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Here is some interesting trivia on world health statistics:

http://www.nationmaster.com/facts/Health

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