Liu X Q, Li Y H
Department of Epidemiology, Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangzhou, China.
Br J Nutr. 2000 Dec;84 Suppl 2:S199-203. doi: 10.1079/096582197388699.
Anthropological evidence suggests that regional differences in eating practices may be characterized by sub-ethnicity. Hakka is one sub-ethnicity who still retain a unique way of life in China. A field survey on diet and health among the Hakka people was undertaken in 1994. Approximately 200 participants were interviewed for their medical history, life-style and food habits. Blood pressure, body mass index, blood sample, 24 h urine and electrocardiogram were collected. The food samples taken from one tenth of the participants were analyzed for the ingredients in their daily meals. From this survey the prevalence of hypertension in Hakka was approximately 10 %. The sodium/potassium ratio was lower than that in Guangzhou and comparable with that in Okinawa, the island of longevity in Japan. For men, taurine level was found to be close to that in Mediterranean countries, where there is low mortality from cardiovascular diseases. For women, the taurine level was even higher, approximating that of Japanese women, who show the greatest longevity and lowest cardiac mortality worldwide. Less obesity was found in Hakka people than that in the US, Canada or Japan. These findings suggest that the following are the major reasons for these positive findings: the Hakka people maintain traditional food habits and maintain active awareness of their health; the major foods are rice, fish, vegetables and fruits; wide use of soybeans; extensive consumption of visceral organs which have rich source of trace elements. These eating practices and nutritional patterns may be beneficial factors for preventing atherosclerosis and hypertension.
人类学证据表明，饮食习惯的地区差异可能以亚族群为特征。客家人是中国仍保留独特生活方式的一个亚族群。1994年对客家人的饮食与健康进行了一项实地调查。约200名参与者接受了病史、生活方式和饮食习惯方面的访谈。收集了血压、体重指数、血样、24小时尿液和心电图。从十分之一的参与者那里采集的食物样本，对其日常饮食中的成分进行了分析。通过这项调查，客家人中高血压的患病率约为10%。钠/钾比值低于广州，与日本的长寿岛冲绳相当。对于男性，发现牛磺酸水平接近心血管疾病死亡率较低的地中海国家。对于女性，牛磺酸水平甚至更高，接近全球最长寿且心脏死亡率最低的日本女性。客家人中的肥胖现象比美国、加拿大或日本少。这些发现表明，以下是出现这些积极结果的主要原因：客家人保持传统饮食习惯并保持积极的健康意识；主要食物是大米、鱼类、蔬菜和水果；大豆的广泛使用；大量食用富含微量元素的内脏器官。这些饮食习惯和营养模式可能是预防动脉粥样硬化和高血压的有益因素。
