日本長壽健康大國地位可能退色

Last month the Mainichi News on-line reported the following:

「健康で長生き」の脅威:日本人は「腰痛」トップ　

毎日新聞　2013年03月27日　19時56分（最終更新　03月27日　20時07分）

　日本人にとって「健康で長生き」の脅威となる病気や障害のトップは腰痛との分析結果を、米ワシントン大、東京大などの研究チームがまとめ、英医学誌ランセット（電子版）に発表した。自殺も上位に入っている。チームは「世界一長寿の日本人の健康が揺らぎ始めている。長く生きても病気などに苦しむ期間が延びていることを示している」と説明する。

　日本の分析は、厚生労働省の人口動態調査などを基にした。平均寿命より早く死亡することで失った年数、障害を抱えて生きる年数を考慮し、病気などが健康に与える負担の程度を分析した。この手法は、死に直結しないが日常生活に支障をきたし、健康寿命を縮める病気や障害を明らかにできる。

　その結果、２０１０年で最も負担度が重かったのは「腰痛」で、脳卒中、虚血性心疾患（心筋梗塞（こうそく）など）、肺炎、関節症などの筋骨格系障害、肺がん、自殺−−と続く。１９９０年の分析ではトップ３は脳卒中、腰痛、虚血性心疾患の順だった。また、自殺は若年層（１５〜４９歳）の死因の２７％を占め、９０年の１６．５％から急伸、世界でも飛び抜けて高かった。

　さらに、こうした脅威の背景にある最も重要な要因として「食生活」を指摘した。和食は低カロリーだが塩分が強く、果物やナッツ類が不足するなど栄養素の偏りが問題だという。２位以下は高血圧、喫煙（副流煙を含む）、運動不足、肥満だった。

　チームによると、２０１０年の日本人の平均寿命は８２．６歳だが、健康寿命は７３．１歳（男女平均）。分析にあたった渋谷健司・東京大教授（国際保健政策学）は「政府は国民の健康課題に効果的に取り組んでいるように見えない。食事の改善、禁煙、腰痛対策など高齢化に伴う問題とともに、自殺予防に向けた精神疾患対策などを進めなければ、健康長寿世界一の座を維持できないだろう」と話す。

(試譯文)

   The summarized analysis result done by the U.S. University of Washington and the University of Tokyo research team that was released it to the English medicine magazine Lancet (electronic edition) had shown that lumbago was the top illness and obstacle that posed a threat to the Japanese towards "to be healthy and long living". Suicide was also included in the rankings at the top. The team said that "the health of the Japanese as the world’s number one long life people is beginning to shake. It is shown that even if people could live longer, the period which they suffer from illness etc. is prolonged".

   Japan's analysis was conducted based on the population census of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare etc. Health was analyzed in consideration of the years cut short due to death that was earlier than the life expectancy, and the years which there was obstacle in health, together with the degree of the burden of the illness etc on health. Although this technique did not link directly to death, it could clarify how the illness and the obstacle interfered with everyday life, and cut short the healthy life expectancy.

   The result showed that in 2010 "lumbago" had the heaviest level of burden; it was followed by stroke, ischemic heart disease (myocardial infarction etc.), pneumonia, musculoskeletal disorder such as osteoarthritis, lung cancer, and suicide. In the analysis in 1990, the top 3 in ranking order were stroke, lumbago, and ischemic heart disease. Moreover, suicide occupied 27% of the cause of death for the young age group (15-49 years old), being a sharp increase from 16.5% in 1990, and was also a rapid increase in the world.

   Furthermore, "eating habit" was pointed out as the most important factor that served as a backdrop to such a threat. It was said that the Japanese-style food had low calorie and high salt content, and it ran short of fruit and nuts, and it had the problem of biased nutrients. The 2nd and further down places were high blood pressure, smoking (second-hand smoke was included), lack of exercise, and overweight.

   According to the team, in 2010 the life expectancy of the Japanese was 82.6 years old while the healthy life expectancy was 73.1 years old (man-and-woman average). Kenji Shibuya the professor of the University of Tokyo (International Health Political Science) who was the in charge of the analysis said that "the government does not seem to tackle the national healthy subject effectively. If the measures against the problems that accompany aging, such as improvements in the meal, prohibition of smoking, and the measures against lumbago, and together with no further advancement in the psychiatric disorder policy etc. that aims at the prevention suicide, then the seat of the world's No.1 in healthy long-life probably could not be maintained."

It seems that changes in life style among the Japanese have reduced the healthy long life expectancy of the people.