Nutritional characteristics of the 1975-type Japanese diet and its potential relevance to healthy aging and longevity

BackgroundThe Japanese diet is known for its nutritional benefits. However, its Westernization may have partially contributed to the increased incidence of lifestyle-related diseases in Japan. A previous study fed the senescence-accelerated mice with Japanese foods based on the weekly menus from the years 1960, 1975, 1990, and 2005. Mice fed with the 1975-type diet lived longer and maintained cognitive capacities better than mice fed with the other diets.AimWe analyzed the average nutritional intake in relation to cause-specific mortality rates in Japan from 1955 to 2023 to investigate whether the 1975-type Japanese diet has the optimal nutritional composition for healthy aging and longevity. We also compared the composition of food groups in the Japanese diet of 1960, 1975, 1990, and 2005.MethodsThe daily average nutritional intake data were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Survey in Japan. The cause-specific mortality rate data were obtained from the Vital Statistics of Japan.SummaryIncreasing protein and fat consumption was positively correlated with malignant neoplasm- and cardiac disease-specific mortality rates, and negatively correlated with cerebrovascular disease-specific mortality rate. The macronutrient composition of the 1975-type Japanese diet may be within the optimal range to suppress these lifestyle-related diseases. It also increased fruit and vegetable consumption while maintaining the high consumption of traditional foods such as fish, soybeans, and algae, which are suggested to have health and cognitive benefits. Experimental, biochemical, and epidemiological evidence suggests the potential relevance of the 1975-type Japanese diet to healthy aging and longevity.