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Cited by 273Nutritional Studies and DietDietary Effects on HealthNutrition and Health Studies

Healthy aging diets other than the Mediterranean: A focus on the Okinawan diet

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Willcox, Donald Craig, Scapagnini, Giovanni, Willcox, Bradley J.·2014·Mechanisms of Ageing and Development
DOI 10.1016/j.mad.2014.01.002PMC PMC5403516
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Abstract

The traditional diet in Okinawa is anchored by root vegetables (principally sweet potatoes), green and yellow vegetables, soybean-based foods, and medicinal plants. Marine foods, lean meats, fruit, medicinal garnishes and spices, tea, alcohol are also moderately consumed. Many characteristics of the traditional Okinawan diet are shared with other healthy dietary patterns, including the traditional Mediterranean diet, DASH diet, and Portfolio diet. All these dietary patterns are associated with reduced risk for cardiovascular disease, among other age-associated diseases. Overall, the important shared features of these healthy dietary patterns include: high intake of unrefined carbohydrates, moderate protein intake with emphasis on vegetables/legumes, fish, and lean meats as sources, and a healthy fat profile (higher in mono/polyunsaturated fats, lower in saturated fat; rich in omega-3). The healthy fat intake is likely one mechanism for reducing inflammation, optimizing cholesterol, and other risk factors. Additionally, the lower caloric density of plant-rich diets results in lower caloric intake with concomitant high intake of phytonutrients and antioxidants. Other shared features include low glycemic load, less inflammation and oxidative stress, and potential modulation of aging-related biological pathways. This may reduce risk for chronic age-associated diseases and promote healthy aging and longevity.

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  • The Okinawan diet is plant-based, low in calories, and characterized by substantial consumption of vegetables, legumes, and sweet potatoes.

    “The Okinawans’ diet, characterized by a substantial consumption of vegetables, legumes, and sweet potatoes, is inherently plant-based and low in calories [7,156,157,158,159,160,161].”

    From The Power of Environment: A Comprehensive Review of the Exposome's Role in Healthy Aging, Longevity, and Preventive Medicine-Lessons from Blue Zones and Cilento (2025) · cites this paper as [158]

    The ‘Ten Characteristics of the traditional Okinawa diet’ section identifies low caloric intake and high consumption of vegetables and legumes; the ‘Haute cuisine’ section identifies sweet potatoes as a staple. The claim omits the traditional-diet qualifier: the Summary and Conclusions says the diet changed substantially after the war and sweet potatoes were largely replaced as its main carbohydrate source. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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5 of the 178 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 7

  1. Cordain L Eaton S Sebastian A Origins and evolution of the western diet: health implications for the twenty-first century Am.J. Clin. Nutr 2005 81 341 354 15699220
  2. FDA Food Labeling: Health Claims; Soy Protein and Coronary Heart Disease In: Federal Register: (Volume 64, Number 206)]; 1999 57699 57733 11010706
  3. Kendall CW Jenkins DJ Curr Atheroscler Rep 2004 6 492 498 15485596
  4. Priyadarsini KI Guha SN Rao MN Physicochemical properties and antioxidant activities of methoxy phenols Free Radic. Biol. Med 1998 24 933 941 9607603
  5. Shen LR Parnell LD Ordovas JM Lai CQ Curcumin an aging Biofactors 2013 39 133 140 23325575
  6. Willcox B Willcox DC Suzuki M The Okinawa Diet Plan 2004 New York, NY Three Rivers Press, A Division of Random House
  7. World Health Organization Preventing chronic diseases: a vital investment: WHO global report 2005 Geneva Who Press

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Authors
Willcox, D. C., Scapagnini, G., & Willcox, B. J.
Affiliations
  • University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (US)
  • University of Molise (IT)
Corresponding author
Willcox, Donald Craig
ORCID
Venue
Mechanisms of Ageing and Development
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2014-03
Volume
136-137
Pages
148-162
ISSN
0047-6374 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.mad.2014.01.002
PMC
PMC5403516
OpenAlex
W1991295722
Cited by
273
References
178
Citations by year
2026: 15 · 2025: 34 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 33 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 22 · 2018: 24 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 4
FWCI
2.55
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Mechanisms of Ageing and Development (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Archivio Istituzionale della Ricerca - Università degli Studi del Molise (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (5r01ag038707-04)
  • National Institute on Aging (R01-AG-038707, R01AG027060)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutritional Studies and Diet
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Dietary Effects on Health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutrition and Health Studies
Keywords
Okinawan diet, healthy aging, Mediterranean diet, DASH diet, Portfolio diet, traditional diet, cardiovascular disease, omega-3 fatty acids, plant-based diet, phytochemicals, antioxidants, inflammation, oxidative stress, longevity, age-related diseases, root vegetables, Ipomoea batatas, medicinal plants
MeSH terms
Aging, Diet, Dietary Fats, Feeding Behavior, Fish Products, Fruit, Humans, Inflammation, Insulin, Japan, Longevity, Risk Factors, Seaweed, Vegetables, Biomarkers, Free Radical Scavengers, Spices, Cucurbitaceae, Curcuma, Diet, Mediterranean, Soy Foods, Nutritional Sciences, Diet, Western

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