How do Okinawan citizens outlive the rest of the world when their diet consists of a large amount of fish?

Question

I know fish has its laundry list of benefits, but surely consuming a large amount can have detrimental effects due to mercury, microplastics and PCBs, yet it doesn’t seem to affect blue zones like Okinawa where their citizens outlive most other nations (with a large amount of centenarians) and consume large amounts of fish.

Why is this?

In: 5

Answer 1

They also tend to be more active.

The average adult in Japan walks almost twice as much every day as the average American.

“The average American walks 3,000 to 4,000 steps a day, or roughly 1.5 to 2 miles.”

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/10000-steps/art-20317391

“A National Health and Nutrition Survey revealed that Japanese men walk 6,846 steps a day, while Japanese women walk 5,867 steps each day.”

https://medium.com/beingwell/skip-the-gym-and-get-longevity-the-japanese-way-7575087a7e48

Personally, I average about 10,000-15,000 steps a day. 30,000-40,000 if I go for a long walk.

Over 90% of the population lives in urban areas. It is easy to walk to most of the places you need to go, or take a train. Car use is pretty low. Many people will also use bicycles.

I can easily walk to several different supermarkets in just 15 minutes to do my grocery shopping, visit hundreds of shops, bars and restaurants, watch a movie, go swimming, visit parks etc. Jump on a train for a bit and it opens up thousands more options.

To get to work I have a 10 minutes walk to the train station then a 20 minute walk the other end to get to my workplace. That’s an hour of walking each day just to get to work. On weekends I’ll often go for one, two, or three hour walks around town. Occasionally, I’ll walk home from work. It takes about 5 or 6 hours.

Americans, on the other hand, seem to think that anything over 30 minutes is a long walk – https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/walking-us-uk-30-minutes-debate-b1905113.html

In addition to this the healthcare system is much cheaper and accessible than the US and there is a focus on preventative healthcare. Stopping issues before they arise. Companies have annual health checks. Local towns will also check people’s health at various stages in life. There is a general attitude that promotes concern over health and looking after yourself.