Changing diet puts 25m at risk of heart disease

More than 25 million Japanese, a fifth of the population, are at risk of a heart attack or stroke unless they drastically improve their diet and get more exercise, the government said.

According to a health ministry report, 13 million people have metabolic syndrome, a condition characterised by abdominal obesity that increases the risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. A further 14 million people are at risk of developing the syndrome, the report said.

Experts blame the problem partly on the shift away from the low-fat Japanese diet of fish, vegetables and rice.