コレステロールの記事

Longevity is what Japanese people boast  to the world. It is believed that Japanese people lead  healthy  lifestyles. I have read articles that defy this conventional wisdom.

There is a survey that compared serum total cholesterol level in Japan  and America. The average serum total cholesterol level of Japanese  people was 40mg/dl lower than that of American people’s in 1960. Now,  there is not so much of a difference now. What is more, the average  serum total cholesterol level of Japanese women has exceeded American women’s that of American women.

This is partly because the American government has encouraged people to exercise regularly, and eat properly. American government  also  try to control the trans-fat level in foods. However, I think the principal reason for the marked increase in serum cholesterol level in Japan is the change in eating habits over the past 40 years. We prefer westernized foods to traditional  Japanese foods. The amount of fat we take has increased more than  twice  compared to 1960. The fact that McDonald is the only company whose  sales has exceeded 500 billion yen among all the whole restaurant industry in Japan seems a symbolic phenomenon in changing dietary habits.

Our current longevity reflects the past lifestyle of Japanese people.   Hyperlipidemia causes no symptoms, but it is one of the risk factors of  atherosclerosis. We are now developing bad dietary habits that cause  serious diseases later. We have to know we are no longer healthy,  and  develop a proper eating habits as our grandparents did.

日本人女性のコレステロール値の上昇率、驚異的だと思いませんか？日本人はバランスの良い食生活を心掛け、健康的に暮らしていると思ってました。そして、アメリカ人＝肥満＝コレステロールも高いに違いない！　という思い込みがあったので、このグラフは衝撃的でした。今や日本人の５人に一人は糖尿病だというし、”日本は長寿の国、健康的”という通念も将来は覆されるのではないかと心配です。

このグラフの記事と、マクドナルドが外食産業初の売上5200億円突破の記事を読んだのが同時期だったので、マクドナルドを例に挙げてみました。マクドナルドと脂質増加は直接の関連はないにしても、最近のマクドナルドの繁盛ぶりはすごいですよね。うちの近所の国道沿いのドライブスルーもいつも長蛇の列です。体に悪いものって美味しいんですよね

“You are what you eat.”　という言葉を思い出しました。気をつけねば･･･。