What about those Japanese?

[tomkay]

I read that 10-12% of Americans have RLS. I also read that c1% of Japanese do. Big difference, eh?

I've had RL since I was about 15 but not for the one year I lived in Japan.

Has anyone read anything about this? I'm wondering if it's perhaps due to....

...all the sitting on the floor and crouching?

...the smaller portions of food (I consumed a lot less and lost loads of weight)?

...the diet (although I still ate carbs and drank beer)?

Any thought?

[ViewsAskew]

So far they think it's genetic...but they really do NOT know. Most of the Asian countries have a much lower incidence than anywhere there is a lot of Northern European genetics.

One theory, by Dr Rye, is that it was a way for our bodies to signal us that we needed more iron in our bodies. So, imagine cave man not being able to sleep until he and his cohorts get off their duffs and kill/eat a woolly mammoth. As with many genetic adaptations, the code gets changed over time, so now we have it whether we eat the meat or not.

But, just a theory. Since they still don't completely get anything about RLS, it's just supposition.

That leads me to my plug for the Foundation. The Foundation does everything they can to fund research that will help use decode/unravel the RLS mystery. The more money, the sooner we can all rest more easily. If you have a spare 50 cents (or more), please consider a donation. Join the Foundation if you have a spare $25. You get a great newsletter quarterly and know that they money will help find out how to alleviate our suffering. Ok, plug over