Japan is doing something right. Only around 3% of the population in Japan is obese, according to a survey published by the United Health Foundation. If they tried to do their own version of the reality show The Biggest Loser, they’d have a very hard time casting for it. They just might need to pull some contestants from the pool of USA citizens…
Click ahead for the full story and find out who is worse off than the USA when it comes to heart disease and cancer….
Compared to Japan, the USA is rather pathetic.
United States incidence of obesity:
Females: 33%
Males: 31%
Japan incidence of obesity:
Females: 3.3%
Males: 2.9%
Japan enjoys a diet high in soy products as well as lean proteins like fish.
Hmm…does this make a better case for learning how to love tofu and soy products? Maybe your next Starbucks beverage should be a soy latte.
Another skinny society is Norway with only 5.9% obese females and 6.4% obese males.
On the list of 31 countries worldwide, the USA is indeed the most obese country. By far. The next most obese countries are Malta and the United Kingdom, both at around 20%.
Below, compare the statistics comparing cardiovascular (heart) disease deaths and cancer deaths in the USA vs. Japan. And find out why the Czech Republic isn’t doing so hot in health either…
HEART DISEASE:
Per 100k citizens, mortality rate for cardiovascular (heart) disease:
JAPAN: 106
UNITED STATES: 188
Interestingly, the USA is not the highest in heart disease deaths. Greece has 258 and Germany has 211. The highest? The Czech Republic has 315.
CANCER:
Per 100k citizens, mortality rate for cancer:
JAPAN: 119
UNITED STATES: 134
The highest? Once again the Czech Republic at 177, and Denmark at 167.
Read the complete rankings here: http://www.americashealthrankings.org/2008/othernations.html
It’s also important to note that a large chunk of Japan’s population are migrant laborers from other Asian countries. No foreigner, even through marriage, can become a Japanese citizen no matter how long they live in that country.
All Japanese data, especially it’s health data, has a bias in it that it doesn’t include this large group of people – that are also more likely to experience health issues.
So I would take any health data from Japan as not very useful and not applicable elsehwere.
Thanks for all the great comments.
Yes I totally agree that physical activity is a huge part of the problem in the USA. Sometimes we focus too much on FOOD and forget to focus on MOVING too.
..sitting at home and watching TV all day long with a big bowl of carrot sticks isn’t much better than running five miles followed by a Happy Meal..
Moderation and pro-active wellness is key.
Great comments!
~Kathy
Very interesting figures! I did “Retweet” some (about obesity US vs Japan).
About Norway, there is a great deal about cycling with proper infrastructure available… like in the Netherlands, where about 40% of the kids go to school by bike. Mainly because there is an extensive and safe network of cycle dedicated paths.
I think that some physical activity on a daily basis plays a role.
Anyway thanks for sharing those figures.
@+ kristof
Everything should be in moderation–Japanese eat small portions of meat. I read all the food labels to avoid fructose corn syrup–not good for obesity problems and it’s in just about everything.
Yes, but Japan is quickly learning the dangerous ways of the USA. Fast food is a favorite there and the youth are the biggest fans of McDonalds etc. I would like to see a breakdown by ages. I wonder if the older citizens are thinner than the fast-food loving kids.