음식문화와 장수의 관계 고찰

Abstract

It is well known that people living in both Okinawa and Jeju tend to have a high life expectancy. There has been a number of studies on the reasons for the longevity, mostly focusing on diet, labor environment, soil, residence, climate, local culture, and so on. Among these studies, diet has been one of the most studied areas with a key focus on boiled pork. This study investigates whether a meat diet, specifically boiled pork, is a driver of longevity, and whether a vegetarian diet is the true reason. The World Health Organization(WHO) has officially recognized Okinawa as a high-longevity region since 1995 and people living in Jeju are famous for their longevity. Given geographical and cultual similarities, these two regions are often compared. Even though many researchers have focused their studies on diet as the key reason for longevity to date, there have been no clear results from these studies. Since boiled pork has long been a common ritual food for both regions, researchers tend to point it out as the main longevity driver. They claim that the boiling process eliminates most of unhealthy fat and leaves good protein behind. However, it seems that this is a somewhat distorted explanation since the people eat the primarily ritual-based food only a couple of times a year. I think this explanation might be influenced by a focus on the importance of good proteins. Due to modernization, the diet of individuals over 100 years old has changed along with their family traditions and culture. Grains and vegetables were once the main sources of nutrition for the self-sustaining agricultural society before the recent modernization. The modernization brought a sudden change in the source of nutrition by supplying inexpensive meat. I would like to focus on the changes in general health during this recent modernization to see what kind of food could be a true driver of longevity. I have studied related documents and conducted interviews of long-lived persons, as well as experts on longevity, in both Okinawa and Jeju. Long-lived people in Okinawa and Jeju have kept grain and vegetable as their main source of nutrition. Sweet potato, millet, and barley were the most popular kind of crops and vegetables were always available because of the warm climate. Also, people in Okinawa and Jeju grew soybeans to provide additional protein. Local residents maintained their health by consuming more vegetable protein than meat protein. Various vegetables also provided sufficient minerals and vitamins. General health degenerated throughout the 1960s and 1970s when meat consumption increased dramatically. Excessive meat consumption caused obesity and serious issues with heart and blood pressure. As a result, the average life expectancy in other regions started to surpass those of Okinawa and Jeju. The obesity increase in the late 20th century originated from the increased consumption of meat and animal fats. Pork was main source of animal fat. Changes in diet during this period of modernization caused health problems in these two regions. I analyzed results from the "Brain Food Project" done by Seobu high school in Daegu, Korea to see how diet of grain and vegetables affects health. The foods provided to the participants in that project are identical to the diet that people consumed in Okinawa and Jeju before modernization. The project results show that grain and vegetable diets relieve obesity and bad cholesterol. The hidden wisdom behind the high life expectancy in Okinawa and Jeju resides in the grain and vegetable diets that cultivate and improve the natural and lives of the residents. I hope to find a way to overcome the current crisis evolving from unsustainable agriculture and environmental problems resulting from the traditional food cultures of Okinawa and Jeju. Key-words : longevity food of Okinawa and Jeju, longevity and vegetable diet, longevity and pork, longevity and meat diet, longevity food and longevity study