Anti-Metabolic Syndrome Boom
“Metabo Taisaku” (Anti-Metabolic syndrome measures) and “Metabo Yobou” (preventions of Metabolic Syndrome) are new buzzwords in diet, exercise, and marketing in Japan.
Anti-Metabolic Syndrome Boom Sparked by MHLW
The metabolic syndrome, which is also called “Metaborikku Shindoromu” in Japanese, has had a lot of attention from the media and people, especially since the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) rolled out a new health check-up system in April for examining the metabolic syndrome. In the new system people aged 40 to 74, under public health insurance associations, are obliged to get a risk assessment for metabolic syndrome. The examinations include waist measurement, BMI, blood pressure, neutral fat, and blood sugar.
The new health check-up system has created a healthcare boom in the Japanese market. Rakuten, one of the biggest online shopping malls, carries a wide range of anti-metabolic syndrome foods and drinks, and even exercise equipment. In the restaurant industry, family restaurants such as Skylark and Royal Host carry menus for adult disease prevention.
Do Many Japanese Really Suffer from Metabolic Syndrome?
Not really. In fact, the number of Japanese who have the metabolic syndrome is still small compared to the number of Americans who have it. According to results from MHLW’s National Health and Nutrient Survey of 2007, 24.4% of males and 12.1% of females aged between 40 and 74 years old are estimated to have the metabolic syndrome. The ratio is much smaller than that in the U.S., where the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome is 43.5% for those aged 60 to 69, and 42% for those aged 70 and older (Source: American Heart Association in 2008).
The fact is that the government rolled out the new system as part of healthcare reform, in order to reduce expenses for future healthcare treatment, rather than deal with urgent healthcare concerns of Japanese people. It is unknown how useful the mandatory check up system is in reducing the number of people with the metabolic syndrome. Some people say that the scheme should be blamed along with the Japanese long-term care insurance program, which is heavily criticized by the Japanese people.
May 31 2008 10:07 am | Health Care and Weekly Articles
