NEC intensifies war on metabolic syndrome

[FarCenter]

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/business/20100330TDY06308.htm
The Yomiuri Shimbun

NEC Co. plans to lower the age of its corporate group employees and their spouses who are required to undergo medical checks for metabolic syndrome from 40 to 30, in a drive to cut the company's medical costs by preventing lifestyle-related diseases among its staff, the company said.

Corporate health insurance societies are legally required to conduct such checkups on people aged between 40 and 74. NEC's move is unusual in that it will lower the minimum age of those subject to the checkup on its own initiative.

An NEC survey found that 19 percent of its male employees aged 30 had been diagnosed as having metabolic syndrome, while the figure jumped to 33 percent for those aged 40, Other demographics remained at about this level.

The survey found that the likelihood of suffering from metabolic syndrome increased sharply for employees in their 30s, prompted the company to take measures to arrest the trend.

<SNIP>

The electronics maker has made meals at its company cafeterias more nutritious and taken other measures to improve the health of its staff. As a result, about 1,000 fewer employees were diagnosed with the syndrome in fiscal 2009--down from about 8,200 the previous year.

NEC estimates the costs of its corporate health insurance in fiscal 2013 will fall about 140 million yen from that of fiscal 2008, thanks to these efforts to improve the health of its staff.

[hedgehog]

1. But I thought it was only Americans who ate too much and

had a sedentary life style - it's all calories in, calories out, don'cha know.

[DCKit]

2. Series? "Metabolic Syndrome" is code for "FAT"? OMFG n/t