We have heard that calorie restriction can extend one’s life but where is the evidence? It appears that this is the case on the Japanese islands of Okinawa. This lush archipelago southwest of the main island of Japan is home to the largest per capita and healthiest population of centenarians on earth.
Legal birth certificates have been kept in japan since 1872 so the number of centenarians is very reliability calculated. Today Okinawa appears to have the highest number of centenarians per 100,000 people at 38. The US has only 22 centenarians per 100,000.
Specifically, Okinawans have:
- More people over 100 years old per 100,000 population than anywhere else in the world;
- The lowest death rates from cancer, heart disease, and stroke, the top three killers in the US
- The highest life expectancy for males and females over 65
In the US, we average approximately 3700 calories/day. In Japan it’s 2810/day. On Okinawa, it’s 20% less than Japan, only 2248 calories/day.