The non-partisan Diet Study Group on Dementia headed by House of Representatives member Hayato Suzuki held its fifth session. HGPI is currently providing planning and operations support for this study group.

The seventh meeting was attended by Prof. Toshiharu Ninomiya of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University and supervisor of the Hisayama Study, a world-famous cohort study on dementia which began in 1961 in Hisayama, Fukuoka . He talked about the history and results of the cohort study, the relationship between lifestyle-related diseases and dementia, and efforts to use new technology to provide health guidance and behavior therapy.

Background
The number of people living with dementia in Japan is expected to rise alongside the aging of the population. Policies to deal with this challenge are urgently needed. Japan has taken up the challenge of such polices by launching the “New Orange Plan” – a comprehensive strategy to address dementia. However, additional measures on dementia will be needed in the future. To that end, a number of House of Representatives members have formed this voluntary, regular, non-partisan study group to encourage as many House of Representatives members as possible to become interested in this issue and knowledgeable about it.

Session presentations
“Lifestyle-related diseases and dementia: The Hisayama study”
Toshiharu Ninomiya (Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University)