From Lab to Life: 100,000 Japanese Centenarians

From Lab to Life: 100,000 Japanese Centenarians

By Shlomo Maital

                                                      Source: depositphotos.com

  On September 16, Hisako Ueno and Tiffany May, reporters for the New York Times, reported on a startling demographic:   Japan has over 100,000 people aged 100 or more.  Not that many years ago, there were only a handful.

              “There are now more than 100,000 centenarians in Japan, a record for a country famous for its longevity.   Japan’s health ministry released data on Tuesday showing that there are now 107,677 people who are at least 100 years old, an increase of nearly 8,000 since last year. The oldest woman, Fuyo Kishimoto from Kyoto, is 114 and the oldest man, Hikaru Kato from Kumamoto, is 112. Women make up the vast majority of the group, at 88 percent.”

       The article does not tackle the intriguing question, why the centenarians are predominantly female:  nearly nine out of 10!  One explanation: “Women are overrepresented as centenarians because many men of that generation died in World War II, and those who survived smoked and drank more than women”.  

        The article quotes a scholar:  Stuart Gietel-Basten, a professor of social science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, , who said “the long lives of many Japanese could be attributed to healthy diet, active daily routines, and an affordable health system with regular checkups”.  

       I prefer a more behavioral explanation for Japan’s numerous centenarians:  “ikigal”.

             In Japanese, iki  means “to live” or “life”.

         Gai: Means “worth,” “value,” or “reason”.   Combined: It translates roughly to “a reason for being” or “something that makes life worth living”.

           Many of the Japanese centenarians continue to work, care for grandchildren and greatgrandchildren, and create value in other ways.  When you do this, your brain gets the message:  Keep my immune system strong, I need to live and work.  And after 100 years on earth, your immune system has dealt with most of the threats that arise during a century of life and is ready to deal with them.

           I also esteem the Dutch centenarians.  Visit Holland and see the elderly bicycling everywhere, fit as fiddles. 

           Added years of life alone is not a worthy goal.  But added years of productive, meaningful life is indeed.  We can learn much from countries where this is a core part of aging.