The DOI matches its Crossref record; 110 of the 110 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The Okinawan Diet: Health Implications of a Low-Calorie, Nutrient-Dense, Antioxidant-Rich Dietary Pattern Low in Glycemic Load
Abstract
Residents of Okinawa, the southernmost prefecture of Japan, are known for their long average life expectancy, high numbers of centenarians, and accompanying low risk of age-associated diseases. Much of the longevity advantage in Okinawa is thought to be related to a healthy lifestyle, particularly the traditional diet, which is low in calories yet nutritionally dense, especially with regard to phytonutrients in the form of antioxidants and flavonoids. Research suggests that diets associated with a reduced risk of chronic diseases are similar to the traditional Okinawan diet, that is, vegetable and fruit heavy (therefore phytonutrient and antioxidant rich) but reduced in meat, refined grains, saturated fat, sugar, salt, and full-fat dairy products. Many of the characteristics of the diet in Okinawa are shared with other healthy dietary patterns, such as the traditional Mediterranean diet or the modern DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet. Features such as the low levels of saturated fat, high antioxidant intake, and low glycemic load in these diets are likely contributing to a decreased risk for cardiovascular disease, some cancers, and other chronic diseases through multiple mechanisms, including reduced oxidative stress. A comparison of the nutrient profiles of the three dietary patterns shows that the traditional Okinawan diet is the lowest in fat intake, particularly in terms of saturated fat, and highest in carbohydrate intake, in keeping with the very high intake of antioxidant-rich yet calorie-poor orange-yellow root vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, and green leafy vegetables. Deeper analyses of the individual components of the Okinawan diet reveal that many of the traditional foods, herbs, or spices consumed on a regular basis could be labeled "functional foods" and, indeed, are currently being explored for their potential health-enhancing properties.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“Similarly, traditional diets such as the Okinawa diet—high in vegetables, soy, and fish—are associated with diverse gut microbiota and reduced chronic disease risk.”
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 [104]
In the citing paper
“The Mediterranean diet, rich in fiber, polyphenols, and monounsaturated fats, exemplifies a microbiome-friendly dietary pattern. It promotes beneficial bacterial growth while reducing inflammation and metabolic disorders.”
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 [104]
In the citing paper
“In contrast, urbanized diets, antibiotic overuse, and environmental pollution contribute to declining microbial diversity and the rise of metabolic and autoimmune disorders [7,101,102,103,104,105,106,107].”
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 [104]
In the citing paper
“Both diets provide high concentrations of polyphenols, flavonoids, and omega-3 fatty acids, contributing to cardiovascular protection, oxidative stress reduction, and improved metabolic efficiency [104,105].”
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 [104]
Citations
Cites
Ford, E. S., Giles, W. H., & Dietz, W. H. (2002) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.287.3.356 · Cited by 6,698
Sacks, F. M., Svetkey, L. P., Vollmer, W. M., Appel, L. J., Bray, G. A., Harsha, D., Obarzanek, E., Conlin, P. R., Miller, E. R., Simons-Morton, D. G., et al. (2001) · New England Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1056/nejm200101043440101 · Cited by 5,638
Diabetes, oxidative stress, and antioxidants: A review
Maritim, A. C., Sanders, R. A., & Watkins, J. B. (2003) · Journal of Biochemical and Molecular Toxicology · doi:10.1002/jbt.10058 · Cited by 3,167
Production of the antimalarial drug precursor artemisinic acid in engineered yeast
Ro, D.-K., Paradise, E. M., Ouellet, M., Fisher, K. J., Newman, K. L., Ndungu, J. M., Ho, K. A., Eachus, R. A., Ham, T. S., Kirby, J., et al. (2006) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature04640 · Cited by 2,805
CURCUMIN: THE INDIAN SOLID GOLD
Aggarwal, B. B., Sundaram, C., Malani, N., & Ichikawa, H. (2007) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-0-387-46401-5_1 · Cited by 1,740
Adherence to a DASH-Style Diet and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke in Women
Fung, T. T. (2008) · Archives of Internal Medicine · doi:10.1001/archinte.168.7.713 · Cited by 1,567
Ceriello, A., & Motz, E. (2004) · Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology · doi:10.1161/01.atv.0000122852.22604.78 · Cited by 1,378
Molecular inflammation: Underpinnings of aging and age-related diseases
Chung, H. Y., Cesari, M., Anton, S., Marzetti, E., Giovannini, S., Seo, A. Y., Carter, C., Yu, B. P., & Leeuwenburgh, C. (2009) · Ageing Research Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.arr.2008.07.002 · Cited by 1,203
Curcumin and cancer: An “old-age” disease with an “age-old” solution
Anand, P., Sundaram, C., Jhurani, S., Kunnumakkara, A. B., & Aggarwal, B. B. (2008) · Cancer Letters · doi:10.1016/j.canlet.2008.03.025 · Cited by 1,134
Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005
SKOLNIK, N., & King, M. (2005) · Family Practice News · doi:10.1016/s0300-7073(05)71075-6 · Cited by 1,072
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- WillcoxDC: Okinawan longevity: where do we go from here? Nutr Dietetics 8: 9– 17, 2005.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
A review on the extraction methods use in medicinal plants, principle, strength and limitation
(2015) · Medicinal & Aromatic Plants · doi:10.4172/2167-0412.1000196 · Cited by 1,325
Speakman, J. R., & Mitchell, S. E. (2011) · Molecular Aspects of Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.mam.2011.07.001 · Cited by 797
Handelsman, Y., Bloomgarden, Z. T., Grunberger, G., Umpierrez, G. E., Zimmerman, R. S., Bailey, T. S., Blonde, L., Bray, G. A., Cohen, A. J., Dagogo-Jack, S. E., et al. (2015) · Endocrine Practice · doi:10.4158/ep15672.gl · Cited by 646
Handelsman, Y., Bloomgarden, Z. T., Grunberger, G., Umpierrez, G., Zimmerman, R. S., Bailey, T. S., Blonde, L., Bray, G. A., Cohen, A. J., Dagogo-Jack, S., et al. (2015) · Endocrine Practice · doi:10.4158/ep15672.glsuppl · Cited by 559
Telomere Length in Epidemiology: A Biomarker of Aging, Age-Related Disease, Both, or Neither?
Sanders, J. L., & Newman, A. B. (2013) · Epidemiologic Reviews · doi:10.1093/epirev/mxs008 · Cited by 556
Metadata
- Authors
- Willcox, D. C., Willcox, B. J., Todoriki, H., & Suzuki, M.
- Affiliations
- University of the Ryukyus (JP)
- University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (US)
- Corresponding author
- Willcox, D. Craig
- Venue
- Journal of the American College of Nutrition
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2009-08-01
- Volume
- 28
- Issue
- sup4
- Pages
- 500S-516S
- ISSN
- 0731-5724 (ISSN-L)
- 1541-1087
- OpenAlex
- W2138089826
- Cited by
- 311
- References
- 109
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 24 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 24 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 21 · 2013: 19 · 2012: 13
- FWCI
- 1.48
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of the American College of Nutrition (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutritional Studies and Diet
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutrition and Health Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Biochemistry (medical) › Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Activities
- Keywords
- Okinawan diet, longevity, centenarians, hypocaloric diet, antioxidant diet, phytochemicals, flavonoids, glycemic load, Mediterranean diet, DASH diet, saturated fat, cardiovascular disease, cancer risk, oxidative stress, functional foods, Ipomoea batatas, leafy vegetables, traditional food
- MeSH terms
- Aging, Animals, Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Antioxidants, Cardiovascular Diseases, Chronic Disease, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Diet, Health, Humans, Japan, Longevity, Neoplasms, Obesity, Plant Extracts, Vegetables, Oxidative Stress, Magnoliopsida, Caloric Restriction, Glycemic Index, Functional Food
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
