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Japanese people may have gained longevity by balancing their diets

economist.com

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Re: Japanese people may have gained longevity by balancing their diets

#191

Post by throwaway6734 »

marcyb5st wrote: post #105
euske wrote: post #47

What's not mentioned in the OP: - INSANE peer pressure. If you're skinny as a twig in the US, you're probably considered normal in Japan. If you're actually an obese person (again, in the US standard), people here wouldn't even look at you straight. This kind of environment put a huge pressure for one to stay in shape. - INSANE obsession for health. I hear that Americans are obsessed with health, but oh boy, have the…

As an Italian person (also our life expectancy is really good on average) this hits home. An anecdotal example: I now live in Switzerland and my current doctor was shocked when I ask to get some blood analysis without being sick. He believed that I lied to my insurance company and hid some pre-existing condition. In Italy, instead, it is pretty common that every couple of years you get a complete blood analysis just…

>In Italy, instead, it is pretty common that every couple of years you get a complete blood analysis just to see if everything is ok and whether you need to change something in your lifestyle.

This sounds like a great idea

Re: Japanese people may have gained longevity by balancing their diets

#192

Post by sneak »

yowlingcat wrote: post #182
sneak wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What matters is who is doing the considering. Each friendship between people is its own "culture" in that sense; I don't generally do things that my friend would consider offensive, if they are actually my friend. It's nothing to do with the wider culture or ethnic environment, or what third parties may or may not be offended by: I don't do things that I know would hurt my friends.

> I don't generally do things that my friend would consider offensive, if they are actually my friend. > I don't do things that I know would hurt my friends. These two statements seem like they could be in conflict with each other. Suppose your friend has a methamphetamine addiction, but they consider it offensive for you to bring it up. Do you not bring it up ever because it's offensive to them?

No, of course not. Inaction/silence doesn't harm someone.

Furthermore, what someone who isn't me puts in their own body is none of my business.

Re: Japanese people may have gained longevity by balancing their diets

#193

Post by Blikkentrekker »

euske wrote: post #47

What's not mentioned in the OP: - INSANE peer pressure. If you're skinny as a twig in the US, you're probably considered normal in Japan. If you're actually an obese person (again, in the US standard), people here wouldn't even look at you straight. This kind of environment put a huge pressure for one to stay in shape. - INSANE obsession for health. I hear that Americans are obsessed with health, but oh boy, have the…

> - INSANE obsession for health. I hear that Americans are obsessed with health, but oh boy, have they looked into Japan. Small clinics are everywhere and they're always filled with anxious patients because they have a benign stomach pain or something. Physical checkup is mandatory for most companies. I also read that the fear of COVID in Japan is the strongest in the world, despite a relatively low infection/death number here. People are always talking about their health, and so is the national media. If you watch the Japanese TV, you'll also feel sick, simply because there's so much fear! Maybe this is good for public health overall, but I bet there's a certain mental toll.

Ah, this explains how the rapey, but criminally attractive, bisyounen love interest in my favorite Japanese love fiction always rushes the protagonist to the infirmary in schools at the slightest cough, missing valuable lessons, and at the approval of the teacher, for merely walking their on one's own ambulance would be too much of a risk, if one have recently caughed.

From what I understand, in the U.S.A. and U.K. schools also have an infirmary and a licensed nurse that works there. — here in the Netherlands, no such thing existed, and a simple cough or headache was certainly not a reason to miss lessons.

Re: Japanese people may have gained longevity by balancing their diets

#194

Post by whoknew1122 »

CodeGlitch wrote: post #107
euske wrote: post #47

What's not mentioned in the OP: - INSANE peer pressure. If you're skinny as a twig in the US, you're probably considered normal in Japan. If you're actually an obese person (again, in the US standard), people here wouldn't even look at you straight. This kind of environment put a huge pressure for one to stay in shape. - INSANE obsession for health. I hear that Americans are obsessed with health, but oh boy, have the…

A culture that promotes health and well-being sounds great to me. Here in the West any criticism of someone's health gets you sent to HR, or accused of hate speech (ok I'm exaggerating a little but I don't think we're far off from that). Perhaps after covid people will take their health more seriously? Edit: by health I meant fitness, obviously many people have health issues that they cannot help.

I'm not sure why people think it's their duty to fat-shame people into losing weight. I'm 6'2" and weighed 220 lbs when I was working out three hours a day 5 times a week. You'll notice that's considered 'overweight' and nearly obese.

I'm about 100 lbs. heavier now. I know I'm too heavy. And I need to work on it. Incidentally, a large part of my weight problem stems from an anxiety/PTSD problem. Sugary junk food makes me feel better when I'm not doing well mentally.

Yet somehow attempt to make me feel guilty is going to make me more healthy? It's more likely to cause me to have an eating disorder and further hurt my mental health.

I've had co-workers who binge drink regularly and smoke daily try to tell me my lifestyle is unhealthy. I do neither.

It's crazy how entitled people feel to be rude to overweight people.

Re: Japanese people may have gained longevity by balancing their diets

#195

Post by Blikkentrekker »

marcyb5st wrote: post #105
euske wrote: post #47

What's not mentioned in the OP: - INSANE peer pressure. If you're skinny as a twig in the US, you're probably considered normal in Japan. If you're actually an obese person (again, in the US standard), people here wouldn't even look at you straight. This kind of environment put a huge pressure for one to stay in shape. - INSANE obsession for health. I hear that Americans are obsessed with health, but oh boy, have the…

As an Italian person (also our life expectancy is really good on average) this hits home. An anecdotal example: I now live in Switzerland and my current doctor was shocked when I ask to get some blood analysis without being sick. He believed that I lied to my insurance company and hid some pre-existing condition. In Italy, instead, it is pretty common that every couple of years you get a complete blood analysis just…

I remember some research with respect to the U.S.A. where such routine checkups are common, and it concluded that it was close to useless to do so.

Routine checkups never happen where I live. — one visits a healer when one feel sick.

Re: Japanese people may have gained longevity by balancing their diets

#196

Post by Blikkentrekker »

darkerside wrote: post #187
woutr_be wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve had those experiences in China, my friends would often comment on my weight. They never meant it in a offensive way, but it’s still hurtful.

It does seem like it's offensive in america to mention overweightedness at all, which seems like it enables overweight people to ignore it. Seems unhealthy as well, both physically and mentally.

I once incurred the wrath of many on a forum for simply saying that my best friend is quite fat.

100% of the those that were angry were from the U.S.A. and this was pointed out in the discussion by others that didn't seem to see the problem with stating such a simple thing about my best friend and most of those that were angry relented after chalking it up to a cultural difference.

But apparently it is deeply sensitive in the U.S.A. to remark upon a man's weight being too much.

The last time it happened to me was someone's remarking that I was putting on some weight, and I agreed, so I switched to a diet with more fibres and in mere weeks it was fixed. — it seems quite constructive to me.

Re: Japanese people may have gained longevity by balancing their diets

#197

Post by Blikkentrekker »

namelosw wrote: post #156
euske wrote: post #47

What's not mentioned in the OP: - INSANE peer pressure. If you're skinny as a twig in the US, you're probably considered normal in Japan. If you're actually an obese person (again, in the US standard), people here wouldn't even look at you straight. This kind of environment put a huge pressure for one to stay in shape. - INSANE obsession for health. I hear that Americans are obsessed with health, but oh boy, have the…

> INSANE peer pressure. In China, it's even more so. If you're an obese person and many will throw "wow you're fat" and "you should really lose some weight" right in your face. Although it sounds terrible, most of the time they're more concerned about you rather than trying to hurt you intentionally. But it does make people feel more guilty about being fat or eating high-calorie foods.

It's really quite interesting that it's really quite easy to insults that come from genuine concern, and insults that come from a desire to insult with no actual concern, and oddly enough, the former is what is often more a cultural taboo than the latter.

Insults such as “Get mental help.” are rarely a form of genuine concern, and fly around far more than legitimate concerned advise that one might benefit from such therapy.

Re: Japanese people may have gained longevity by balancing their diets

#198

Post by Vinnl »

Blikkentrekker wrote: post #195
marcyb5st wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an Italian person (also our life expectancy is really good on average) this hits home. An anecdotal example: I now live in Switzerland and my current doctor was shocked when I ask to get some blood analysis without being sick. He believed that I lied to my insurance company and hid some pre-existing condition. In Italy, instead, it is pretty common that every couple of years you get a complete blood analysis just…

I remember some research with respect to the U.S.A. where such routine checkups are common, and it concluded that it was close to useless to do so. Routine checkups never happen where I live. — one visits a healer when one feel sick.

I remember first reading about that as well. That's not to say we don't have preventative care in the Netherlands though, it's just more targeted. For example, women get regular screenings for breast cancer.

Re: Japanese people may have gained longevity by balancing their diets

#199

Post by bryanrasmussen »

marcyb5st wrote: post #105
euske wrote: post #47

What's not mentioned in the OP: - INSANE peer pressure. If you're skinny as a twig in the US, you're probably considered normal in Japan. If you're actually an obese person (again, in the US standard), people here wouldn't even look at you straight. This kind of environment put a huge pressure for one to stay in shape. - INSANE obsession for health. I hear that Americans are obsessed with health, but oh boy, have the…

As an Italian person (also our life expectancy is really good on average) this hits home. An anecdotal example: I now live in Switzerland and my current doctor was shocked when I ask to get some blood analysis without being sick. He believed that I lied to my insurance company and hid some pre-existing condition. In Italy, instead, it is pretty common that every couple of years you get a complete blood analysis just…

>I now live in Switzerland and my current doctor was shocked when I ask to get some blood analysis without being sick. He believed that I lied to my insurance company and hid some pre-existing condition.

this is the same kind of situation in Denmark, I've lived most of my life outside of Denmark, after I cam back in my early 40s I went to the Doctor and said innocently "well I guess I'm getting to that age now where I should have an annual checkup." There was no explaining the concept to him.

Re: Japanese people may have gained longevity by balancing their diets

#200

Post by Blikkentrekker »

Vinnl wrote: post #198
Blikkentrekker wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I remember some research with respect to the U.S.A. where such routine checkups are common, and it concluded that it was close to useless to do so. Routine checkups never happen where I live. — one visits a healer when one feel sick.

I remember first reading about that as well. That's not to say we don't have preventative care in the Netherlands though, it's just more targeted. For example, women get regular screenings for breast cancer.

Which in itself seems rather odd, given that it's not the most common, most deadly, nor easily screenable ailment.

If there is screening for this specific ailment, then why not for all?

It doesn't strike me as a decision born from strategic thought.

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