The Chosun Ilbo reports that the occurrence of “Western-type diseases” such as colon cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease and diabetes is skyrocketing among Koreans.
In fact, while the majority of Westerners suffering from those diseases are in their 60s and 70s, Koreans seems to be getting them 10 years earlier, in their 40s and 50s.
According to data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, four of 10 colon cancer patients in Korea last year were in their 50s. In the United States, only 24% of colon cancer patients are in their 50s.
Breast cancer, too, is striking younger patients in Korea. Last year, 46% of Korean breast cancer patients were in their 40s or younger.
Then there are myocardial infarctions — in Korea, 42% occur in men int their 50s. Meanwhile, 16.6% of diabetes sufferers are in their 50s, as opposed to only 15.4% in their 60s and 14.2% in their 70s.
The former chairman of the Korea Adult Diseases Association said the number of Western-type diseases was spiking because Koreans have for the last 20—30 years greatly boosted their consumption of meat after millennia of eating mostly vegetables. In particular, young people who have been eating overly rich meat diets since their early years are even more susceptible to these diseases.
The adoption of more Western-style diets hasn’t been all bad, however. After all, the Kukmin Ilbo reported in 2004 that Korean breast sizes were growing larger, too.
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I suppose this is the modern equivalent of giving smallpox infested blankets to the Indians.
I wonder how many Koreans would willing to go back to life as it was in 1978, for example, if doing so meant lowering the risk of contracting “Western-style diseases?”
. . . Attributed to a diet of fast food and processed meats and foods, combined with smoking and too much alcohol. There is one other factor too and that is the vastly greater amount of air pollution and contaminants therein.
Perhaps the incidents of contraction are not skyrocketing as alarmingly as the report indicates. With the influx of more Western style diagnosis it could be the labeling of the disease is simply different. A man dying of lung cancer was a “lunger” before they learned the properties of cancer. We don’t die of evil spirits as often as we once did. I don’t get leached as much as I would have in the past although leaching is now being studied more closely and being found to have extraordinary efficacy.
Maybe these ailments would have been attributed to fan-death in the past. Has there been a case of handheld fan-death?
Just warning you – I’m about to click on that link about breast sizes getting larger, and there’d better be pictures….
…weak, Marmot.
I didn’t think this sentence made sense as the numbers don’t add up to anything close to 100; they should if the statistic is for type II diabetes, which normally strikes in middle age. I checked the Korean original and humbly offer my translation below:
I’m too lazy to google for links, but I recall reading research studies showing that Japanese-Americans contract diabetes and heart disease at lower weights than European-Americans. It is thought that the former store more visceral fat, located near the organs and much more harmful than stable subcutaneous fat under the skin that gives white and black women large thighs and bottoms.
It’s probably the excess fat,more than the diet itself, that is driving the early onset of these diseases. Fat isn’t just storage. It is connected to the endocrine system and is able to secrete hormones affecting appetite and metabolism. Thirty years ago, most Koreans looked lean and fit, but now the middle-aged of both sexes often carry a spare tire around the middle.
This is old news, recycled crap. Researchers across Korea have been studying this trend for years, and frequently reported in local media. Last year a joint research project between Yonsei University and Johns Hopkins proved a genetic predisposition toward Western-style diseases among South Koreans. This line of exciting research is now being focusing on the existence among North Korean mitochondrial surveys of a gene that provides resistance to neurological Toadyism.
Might have something to do with this:
Me: In Japan lots of people stay fit by riding bicycles.
Korean: We can’t ride bicycles in Korea.
Me: Why
Korean: Too many cars.
Average life span in South Korea for men and women – 79 years of age. An increase life span of 10 years in only 20 years. Koreans have caught up and now slightly outlive Americans. But this slight difference will widen in favor of Koreans in coming years. So what’s the problem?
Koreans aren’t dying of poor man’s diseases like dysentry anymore, but they’re dying of rich man’s diseases like cancer and obesity. The death rates have been cut in half since the end of Korean War. What’s so bad about the health of the current generation?
It’s all so ridiculous. What is now has always been.
I was just about to say exactly #10 did. Korean people are now living long enough to die of cancer and heart disease rather than diarrhea, measles, malnutrition etc.
#10 – Exactly. Not to say that recent trends are all postive – the aren’t – but in the larger scheme of things, Koreans are healthier and live longer than they ever have. A little bit of Western-style medicine probably hasn’t hurt either.
Certainly copious amounts of soju would have nothing to do with all the early-onset of cancer. Nor would heavy smoking. :rollseyes:
“Korean breast sizes were growing larger, too.”
And that’s why more Korean women should eat American beef…
“Korean breast sizes were growing larger, too.”
And that’s why more Korean women should eat American beef…
The article actually says that Korean women are getting slimmer, AND their breasts are getting bigger.
Slim Korean women with big breasts = AWESOME!
#15,
I’m sure the growing popularity of breast implants has something to do with it, though.
“…while the majority of Westerners suffering from those diseases are in their 60s and 70s, Koreans seems to be getting them 10 years earlier, in their 40s and 50s.”
“According to data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, four of 10 colon cancer patients in Korea last year were in their 50s. In the United States, only 24% of colon cancer patients are in their 50s”
Humm, seems to me then we should be calling these “Korean-styled” diseases shouldn’t we ?
it’s my understanding that eating meat in reasonable amounts has very little or no correlation with early onset diabetes as long as you maintain a healthy weight and exercise. processed meat, however, is definitely linked to weight gain and thus diabetes. shame on the KADA chairman for his ignorance.
“Western-type Diseases” aka diseases of affluence.
These diseases are one of the issues faced by developed nations, not strictly Western ones.
As usual, Koreans are acting like victims and need someone to blame for problems they create for themselves.
Who is this JohnT guy? You squeeze him and a formulistic anti-Korean line pusses out.
…funny but hit the nail on the head. Why is the article blaming “Western-type diseases.” Racist (urg, hemispherist) title when you consider it.
As usual, Koreans are acting like victims and need someone to blame for problems they create for themselves
It would seem that way and I am like then why drink all of that coffee and eat all of those sweets. My friend that is not a Western problem that is a problem period. Also I read Asians account for nearly 50% of cigarette consumption. Now whose fault is that? In addition, I read South Koreans have a higher disposition for stomach cancer. Would that be due to all of the spicy foods they eat. If that is the case then how is that a Western problem
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