日本的“長壽國”桂冠不保了

For years Japan has dominated the league table for world life expectancy. The streak triggered much research into the reasons behind this, so others could hopefully snatch some of that longevity for themselves.

多年以來，日本在預(yù)期壽命方面一直占據(jù)世界主導(dǎo)地位，同時也引發(fā)了大量針對其背后原因的研究，以便其他人也可以找到延長壽命的方法。

According to the Independent, a study in 2016 found it’s largely down to the Japanese diet.

據(jù)英國《獨立報》報道，2016年的一項研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，其秘訣主要在于日本人的飲食習(xí)慣：

‘[The Japanese] eat diets high in certain carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits as well as fish and meat. Such foods make for a diet low in saturated fats, processed foods and high in carbohydrates gained from both rice and vegetables.’

「『日本人』的飲食多為特定碳水化合物、蔬菜、水果、以及魚類與肉類。這種飲食習(xí)慣可以減少飽和脂肪、加工食品的攝入，并能從大米與蔬菜中攝取大量碳水化合物?！?/p>

Other reasons brought up by studies and articles on the subject include a hygiene-conscious culture, an accessible health service and the active lifestyle of older Japanese people who often continue working past retirement age.

關(guān)于日本人長壽的研究與文章則提出了其他理論，其中包括衛(wèi)生意識、醫(yī)療服務(wù)、以及日本老年人經(jīng)常在退休年齡之后還繼續(xù)工作的積極生活方式。

However, as written in the Guardian, Japan could be about to lose their crown to another country. If current trends continue, by 2040, Spain will top the league tables, breaking Japan’s streak. The average age in Spain is predicted to become 85.8 years, with Japan lagging behind by just 0.1 year.

然而，正如《衛(wèi)報》近期所報道的那樣，日本可能即將把長壽王冠輸給另一個國家。如果照目前的趨勢繼續(xù)下去，到2040年時，西班牙將位居長壽國榜首，并打破日本的連勝紀(jì)錄。屆時西班牙的平均年齡預(yù)計可達到85.8歲，而日本僅落后其0.1歲。

According to the article, the answer lies once again in what the population eat, as the Spanish reap the benefits of the famous Mediterranean diet and keep alcohol consumption down.

該報道還表示，西班牙即將制霸的秘訣同樣在于飲食習(xí)慣。因為西班牙人正享受著名的地中海飲食所帶來的好處，并且還在持續(xù)減少酒精消耗量。

Japan’s predicted fall from number 1 to a still very respectable second place, seems to be down to Japanese men in particular. Rates of obesity have risen for men but not women, and smoking could also be a factor.

而日本之所以預(yù)計從第一名下降到仍然非常可觀的第二名，或許主要歸咎于日本男性。據(jù)悉，日本男性的肥胖率正在上升，而女性的肥胖率則無變化。此外，吸煙也可能是一個重要因素。