An Epidemiological Study on Nutrition and Cerebrovascular Lesions in Tohoku Area of Japan

Abstract

In the geographic distribution of the mortality from cerebrovascular lesions in Tohoku area, the north-eastern part of the main island, which shows the highest mortality all over Japan, Pacific rocky coast fishing districts are lower than inland farm districts. Three villages representing these districts - an inland farm village, a farm village with sandy coast, and a rocky coast fishing village, each has a population over 3, 000 - are investigated on blood pressure level, diets and some kind of blood contents. Inhabitants in the fishing village have the lowest blood pressure level and consume less rice but more other foods than in farm villages. Consequently, the latter is inferior to the former in intake of protein, fat, calcium, phosphorus, iron and vitamins of B complex and C. From these results, calcium- and vitamin-deficiency is epidemiologically suspected as an important cause of high incidence of cerebrovasuclar lesions in Japan.