ABSTRACT
Osteoporosis is one of the most prevalent diseases of mankind. Although ethnic, nutritional, and lifestyle factors of nations differ, osteoporosis remains a universal disorder, despite having a wide variety of incidence rates and health manifestations that impact a population. Because osteoporosis increases with age, its prevalence is expected to rise as the life expectancy of a nation increases. In developed nations, life expectancy in females may exceed 80 years, as in Japan, and each population might be called an “osteoporotic nation”; osteoporosis in economically developed nation is a far more serious health threat than in a developing country. In a developing country, a “preosteoporotic nation,” the corresponding life expectancy is as short as the 50s, when osteoporosis scarcely exists. In the former, increasing numbers of osteoporotic fractures require extensive nursing care, which increases the need for health support mechanisms for the elderly. No nation, however, achieves its
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................465 Nutritional and Lifestyle Characteristics of Japanese ....................................................................466
