Anti-ageingsecretsoftheOkinawans.docVIP

Anti-ageing secrets of the Okinawans Most of us want to know how to live a long life and have the good health to enjoy it. Okinawa, a group of islands in Southern Japan, has the largest percentage of healthy old people of any place on earth. Many live to well over the age of 100, and very few succumb to diseases which we have come to expect as part of ageing - strokes, cancer, heart disease and dementia. In fact Okinawans have the lowest frequency of these diseases in the world. So what is it about the diet and lifestyle of the Okinawans that gives them this extraordinary long and healthy life? A group of doctors has spent 25 years collecting information on the diet and lifestyle of the Okinawans and analysing it. The results are fascinating and fit very well with the recommendations of the Zone diet. Here are a few tips from the Okinawans, combined with principles of the Zone Diet. You can use these to turn your diet and lifestyle into one that can slow down the ageing process and ward off the diseases of old age. The researchers found 10 key factors that contributed to the excellent health and longevity of the Okinawans. Check your own health and lifestyle against these, and then use the suggestions that follow to help correct potential health problems, and ward off disease. The 10 Factors 1. Okinawans have healthy arteries, low cholesterol, and low homocysteine levels. Cholesterol clogs arteries, clogged arteries lead to poor blood supply, which causes strokes and heart attacks. Homocysteine is an amino acid, a by-product of meat protein consumption. High homocysteine levels are linked with heart disease and inflammation. Homocysteine levels are reduced by vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid. These are used by the body to turn homocysteine into a harmless protein. The Okinawan diet has high levels of these vitamins. Okinawans also maintain a healthy blood pressure. You can ask your doctor to check cholesterol, homocysteine levels and blood pressure. 2. Okinawa