There are now 36,000 centenarians in Japan

If you are overweight or obese you will almost certainly die younger than your friends who are slim and who eat less. Research has even shown that people who are slim and who eat a lot but burn off the excess calories with exercise don’t live as long as people who eat very little.

It is very rare that you see somebody of over the age of 80 who consumes a huge amount of food and you should be aware that as you get older you should reduce your calorie intake. Obviously older people burn off less calories and tend to live more sedentary lives and this is why they should reduce the amount they eat.

Ukmedix News recently heard a story of a Sicilian old people’s home in a particular region which was always full but never had any waiting lists. The director of the home confessed that when they needed more space he would organise a feast of some sort over a few days for the old people which would result in a number of them dying and thus freeing up space for more entrants.

Tomoji Tanabe, who is Japan’s oldest man at the age of 113 recently celebrated his birthday and said that he planned to live for another five years. The traditional Japanese diet with steamed vegetables and fish of small portions is responsible for very high longevity rates in Japan. Mr Tanabe claims that he eats a lot but this is probably by Japanese standards as opposed to western standards where calorie consumption is much higher. He has avoided alcohol for most of his life and lives a very easy stress free life.  He has more than 100 descendants including six great great grandchildren.

The Japanese government figures show that the number of Japanese men and women making the age of 100 has increased twofold over the last six years and there are now 36,000 centenarians in the country. Experts predict that by the year 2050 Japan will have 1 million people over the age of 100.