They are the portraits of strength and endurance as they generally outlive their male counterparts. The Japanese women are known to have longer life expectancy than Japanese men and they continue to live to tell their inspiring tales.
Top in the list
Japan tops the list of countries that have the highest life expectancy rate in the world. The World Health Organization released the list in 2011. The figures show that Japan is on the first slot among the top 10 nations with enduring longevity. The overall life expectancy of the Japanese is 83. Men have an average life expectancy of 79, ranking 12th globally. Women on the other hand generally outlive the men with a life expectancy of 86, topping all the other women population in the world. Other top ranking countries are Japan, Switzerland, San Marino, Italy, Singapore, Iceland, Andorra, Australia, Spain and Qatar.
Japanese women on the helm
The Japanese female population recently regained their life expectancy title that Hong Kong grabbed in 2011. For more than 25 years the WHO has recognized the Japanese women as having the most enduring longevity among all nationalities. They were knocked off by Hong Kong from their post due to the Tohoku earthquake and the tsunami that wiped out a big part of the elderly population.
The Ministry of Health recently published a report that a 2012 born Japanese girl can live up to 86.41 years. According to Gerontology Research Group, Japanese women also have the highest number in the bloc of super centenarians or those who have reached beyond 110 years of life. The oldest living super centenarian Japanese woman is Misao Okawa from Osaka, Japan who is now 115 years old.
Longer life
Researchers from Japan conducted a study on the reasons why women stay alive longer than men. The result revealed that while both sexes experience a decline in their immune systems, women deteriorate slower than men. As a person ages, notwithstanding the gender, white blood cells diminish resulting in lower resistance against infectious diseases. The antibodies decrease in number too and the body becomes susceptible to illnesses. Women however have the ability to retain a longer immunological point than men. They are also equipped with more estrogen until their menopause period. Estrogen protects women from heart attack, one of the leading causes of death among men.
Different aging process
Men and women have different aging processes, according to Katsuiku Hirokawa from the Tokyo Medical and Dental University Open Laboratory. Women have supplementary lymphocytes that boost the immune system. Compared to men, their lifestyle is also one factor why they live longer. Japanese men usually live more high-stress lives that contribute to stress-related diseases such as heart ailment.
Diet factor
Overall, the Japanese people have the highest average of life expectancy. Health organizations believe the general diet of these people is the leading factor that has led to their remarkable longevity. Japanese diet consists mainly of fish and vegetables with a usual dash of soy in their meals. They avoid eating red meat and they use small plates for eating. The small plates help them control the portions of their food intake, thus preventing overeating that commonly results to overweight issues. Observably, the Japanese, except perhaps for the sumo wrestlers who need to maintain huge physiques, have a trim physical built.