Hard work does not result in a decrease in meal quality: the case of a Japanese farming village.
Historically, when Japanese farmers engaged in hard labor, they were likely to increase their carbohydrate intake without increasing intake of other nutrients. After Japan's economic growth started in the 1960s, however, many kinds of food became available and affordable. We investigated whether farmers today have increased the nutrients in their diet in proper proportion to energy expenditures when they are engaged in farming work by comparing the quantity and quality of meals between farmers and other villagers within a small area of a farming village. The quantity of energy and other nutrients increased with farming work, but the amounts of each nutrient per unit of energy did not decrease with the increase in energy intake. The intake of each nutrient relative to the recommended dietary allowance for energy and each nutrient did not decrease with farming work either. It was concluded that the quality of meals of farmers does not decrease with the increasing energy intake for farming work when many kinds of food are available and affordable.
Nakatsuka
H
H
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
Satoh
H
H
Yamamoto
R
R
Satoh
R
R
Watanabe
T
T
Imai
Y
Y
Abe
K
K
Nagai
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000383:Agriculture; D004032:Diet; D002149:Energy Intake; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009753:Nutritive Value; D005082:Physical Exertion; D012424:Rural Population; D014937:Work