Women's diet of green tea and raw fish is 'key to healthy, long life'

A new study has revealed their diets rich in raw fish and green tea are helping them to live considerably longer than British women. Eschewing the Western staples of dairy and bread sees Japanese women live to the ripe old age of 86.4 years on average, much more than British women who live to just 82.7 years. Research by the Office for National statistics found that there could be 'potential for further increases' in life expectancy for women in the UK, if they adopted the lifestyle of their Asian counterparts, The Times reports. The Japanese diet is rich in wholegrains, vegetables and soy - and Japanese women consume around 25 per cent fewer calories than British women. They eat on average three servings of fish a week, with smaller, daintier portions. It is believed that using chopsticks also slows down the eating process, giving the body time to realise what has been consumed, and therefore eat less. According to the league table, Japanese men have an average life expectancy of 79.9 - not too dissimilar to that of British men, who live on average to 78.9.The figures were revealed in an international compendium of data published by the ONS. It compares figures on population, education and economy.The benefits of green tea have been long extolled  - but new research has also found it can also be good for your mind.Scientists claim green tea enhances several cognitive functions, in particular our working memory.The new findings suggest that green tea could be used to treat dementia and other psychiatric disorders.Experts from the University of Basel, found that green tea extract increases the brain's effective connectivity, noting significant improvements in working memory tasks after people had consumed it.(dailymail.co.uk) ANN.Az