If a person can start from the source and develop healthy eating habits before the age of 9, such as a light taste and low salt intake, it will play a crucial role in preventing diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes. The positive significance is far greater than medical intervention after the onset of the disease. Recently, at the 3rd China-Russia Pharmacology Symposium hosted by Harbin Medical University, Professor Takayuki Yoshikawa, an internationally renowned endocrinologist and former president of Shiga University of Japan, was invited to showcase the secret behind the significant decrease in the incidence of diabetes in Japan to experts from various countries.
In the early 1990s, under the advocacy of a group of visionaries in the medical community, represented by Professor Takayuki Yoshikawa, people aged 35 to 40 in Japan began to consciously adjust their dietary structure and pay attention to changing their lifestyles. As the diet became lighter, the average daily salt intake per person in Japan is now controlled to within 6 grams. Today, the number of people with diabetes in this age group has halved compared to 15 years ago, and the adverse impact of high blood pressure on the nation's health has also been greatly reduced.
"Preventing high blood pressure emphasizes prevention, and the key is to start from the source and cultivate good eating habits from childhood. Generally speaking, the 'appetite' before the age of 9 is very important, and it is difficult to change after growing up." Professor Yang Baofeng, a pharmacologist from Harbin Medical University, fully agrees with Professor Takayuki Yoshikawa's view. He believes that the reason why high blood pressure is so harmful in Heilongjiang Province and has always remained at the highest level in the country is that the local residents' average daily high-salt diet is 12-15 grams. This figure is far higher than the Chinese standard of 9 grams, the international standard of 7-8 grams, and the Japanese standard of 6 grams.
"Preventing high blood pressure must start with managing children's meals," and "Eating habits before the age of 9 will follow us for a lifetime." This is what experts at home and abroad say.