2007 Volume 1 Issue 2 Pages 41-53
In recent Japan, life-style related diseases such as diabetes (type II diabetes mellitus), hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and arteriosclerosis have been increasing due to changes in the life-style, particularly in eating habits. The trend interferes with people's pleasant and healthy longevity in Japan facing the world's most aged society while raising an issue that increased health care expenditure including medical one is threatening nation's finance. It is important for people to have proper eating habits to prevent both life-style related diseases and metabolic syndrome lying ahead of them. Therefore, it is essential that adults and even young people should be provided with dietary education so that they can adapt to healthy eating habits. This paper describes preventive measures against life-style related diseases including ways of eating to avoid rapid elevation in blood glucose level after a meal, advantages of traditional Japanese diet that is high in dietary fiber and low in fat content, and the prevention of hypertension by reduced salt and high potassium intake. In addition, it introduces examples of communities in Japan that implemented such measures with successful results.
