Life Expectancy

[Ian_Lee]

According to the latest report from UN Population Fund, the countries/regions with longest life expectancy are:

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200510/200510120021.html

Male:

(1) Hong Kong -- 78.9 yrs

(2) Japan -- 78.7 yrs

(3) Sweden -- 78.2 yrs

Female:

(1) Japan -- 85.8 yrs

(2) Hong Kong -- 84.9 yrs

(3) Spain -- 83.5 yrs

______________________________

My own conclusion:

(1) Dim Sum and Sushi are better for your health than burger and pizza;

(2) Contrary to popular belief, dwelling in big cities may actually make you live longer;

(3) Hmm.......It looks like mahjong playing may let you live longer.

[Lu]

I don't understand how they do it. The Japanese, they work so hard one would think they would all get heart attacks at 50. The Hongkongnese live in a huge city, stressfull living and no doubt air pollution.

And the Chinese seem all to get so old as well. Mao, Deng, Ba Jin, etc etc, they all die at 70, 80, 100. And that while smoking like a chimney and waging war & revolution.

Ba Jin died October 17th. My grandfather died also October 17th, 5 years ago. My grandfather was 70, Ba Jin 100. Yet Ba Jin lived in a developing country, went through the Cultural Revolution, was in politics, while my grandfather lived in Holland and had a normal 9-5 job. I don't understand how they do it.

[HashiriKata]

The Japanese, they work so hard

Who told you that ???

Anyway, from the statistics above, it seems you'd lose an average 6 years of life to be men, which is even worse than smoking!

(No wonder so many men have tried to change themselves into the opposite sex, just as many have given up smoking! )

[skylee]

Hong Kong had the lowest fertility rate with 0.95 children

This seems to be a problem that will not go away. (But according to this post the city of Shanghai has the lowest birth rate in the world.)

[Lu]

Hashirikata: Just my general impression, am I wrong?

[HashiriKata]

You're not wrong , but it may be closer to the truth to say that Japanese (have to) spend a lot of time in the name of work and of their company commuting, socializing, enjoying themselves, looking busy, etc.

So, it's normal to see people leaving home at 7am for work and got home at 10pm (drunk!). I think this is where the hard-working reputation started from.

[bhchao]

My own conclusion:

(1) Dim Sum and Sushi are better for your health than burger and pizza;

(2) Contrary to popular belief, dwelling in big cities may actually make you live longer;

(3) Hmm.......It looks like mahjong playing may let you live longer.

Actually the long life expectancies in Hong Kong and Japan may have something to do with high per capita incomes. It is true that money does not buy happiness, but having plenty of it gives you the resources you need to afford a high standard of living.

Compare the example between North and South Korea. The life expectancy in South Korea is 10 years higher for males and females compared to their counterparts in the North.

Also it seems that HKers have a penchant for exercise. When I last visited HK in 1983, I recall seeing elderly perform taichi exercises on top of a hill.

It also helps to have a thriving sex industry. Research has shown that people who have sex more often live happier lives than people who practice abstinence.

[geraldc]

The people who live longest are all big fish eaters.

[gougou]

Mainland China doesn't seem to be too bad, either. The world record for the longest marriage has just been broken in Shijiazhuang: Guo Changlan and Zhang Jiuyu, both 96 years old, have been married for 80 years and 15 days (and counting).

[nipponman]

Alas, this is an area where women just have men completely beat. You'd think it would even out over the years or something but nope.

[Quest]

nipponman, check this out: http://www.gophergas.com/funstuff/womenlivelonger2.htm

[HashiriKata]

this is an area where women just have men completely beat.

Survival of the fittest, pure and simple!

[nipponman]

nipponman, check this out:...

Hmm, so that's why we don't live as long:lol:

[Celso Pin]

we should not eat big mac´s...

we should eat Filet´o´fish´s...

[Ian_Lee]

Here are my other guesses why people in Hong Kong and Japan outlive everybody else:

(1) Chinese herbal medicine may help you live longer (even though there is less intake among Japanese than HKers);

(2) Foodstuffs other than fish, i.e. Chinese mushroom/Shiitake, which is regularly consumed by people in HK and Japan, may prolong your life expectancy;

(3) Affordable universal health care, even though without the top-notched medical technology available in US, tends to raise the average life expectancy of the population as a whole.

(4) Closely-knitted family relationship, high concentration of population and ease of transportation can let the senior citizens get enough attention from other family members.

[bhchao]

(4) Closely-knitted family relationship, high concentration of population and ease of transportation can let the senior citizens get enough attention from other family members.

Coincidentally, this month's National Geographic featured an article on living longer. The three places it listed as having the world's longest life expectancies are Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; and Loma Linda, CA.

The article mentioned how elderly women in Okinawa often get together with friends and family in intimate house settings while chatting with each other and having tea at the same time.

Diet was also mentioned. Residents in Okinawa have a saying: "Eat until your stomach is 80% full." Never eat to the point where your stomach is bloated.

Having a diet that includes seaweed also helps prolong your life.

[bhchao]

Also I think the long life expectancies in Hong Kong and Japan can be partly attributed to low car ownership rates.

With a high population density combined with excellent public transportation infrastructures in urban areas, there is no need to drive a car. So you will not find the road rage behavior, finger showing, "F you's" common in many American cities.

Now if New Yorkers changed their diet from hamburgers and pizzas to more healthy alternatives, they could see years added to their life expectancies.