Thin Not More Healthy

We keep hearing about the obesity epidemic, but are chubby people really less healthy? Not according to Japanese researchers who have found that slightly chubby people live longer than their thinner counterparts.

The study was conducted by a health ministry team at Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine. They looked at 50,000 people between the ages of 40 and 79 for over twelve years in the northern Japanese prefecture of Miyagi. What they found was counter to the common wisdom: People who are slightly overweight at age 40 live six to seven years longer than very thin people. Even more startling is that very skinny people had shorter life span than even the obese--by five years!

"We had expected thin people would show the shortest life expectancy but didn't expect the difference to be this large," said Shinichi Kuriyama, an associate professor at Tohoku University. The prevailing thought among the researcher was that thinner people would have lower life spans because of underlying illness or smoking. The results remained unchanged, however, when eliminating those factors. The researchers believe the differences are due to thinner people being more susceptible to illness and having weaker blood vessels.

I don't know about those conclusions but I will say that I've always endorsed a "natural" body type and diet. What I mean by this is that I see far too many people pushing their limits to become thin, with the belief that thin is more beautiful and more healthy. I've told many a washboard ab desiring client that "zero body fat just ain't that healthy." When fantasizing about that Men's Health cover-boy physique, just know that those young studs are practically starving themselves for that shoot; but you can't be that way year round. A little spare tire never hurt anybody, but maintaining zero body fat can--and here's the study to prove it.

Saying that, I know that many of you reading this won't take heed. You'll still strive for zero body fat, and that's cool--no biggie. Just know which contract you are signing because in the end nothing comes without a price.

Campos note: Before taking these results as a license to party, the scientists did conclude that the healthiest people were at their "normal" body weight. Going to town on the Ben & Jerry's to plump-up a little is ill-advised. More important is that underweight people probably need to add a bit more weight. Again the take home lesson here is that too thin is not always in. Healthy and au natural is certainly better.

Not too Late, Boomers

Not too late to exercise, Boomers. Recent studies show that starting a physical fitness program after 50 is as beneficial for men as quitting smoking.

That's right, ten years of exercise for fifty-year-olds led men to have the same life-expectancy as men who have been exercising their entire lives. So says a Swedish study published in the latest British Medical Journal (BMJ). The researchers followed around 2,200 fifty-year-old men from 1970-2002, and found that regular exercise was as beneficial to overall health as kicking the cancer sticks.

The important factor here is regularity. Two to five times per week for 20-60 minutes every week is regular. Truth be told, duration and intensity is less important than frequency. What this means is that it isn't so important how long you work out, or how hard, although both, if left unchecked, can lead to burnout. But frequency--how often you work out--and consistency reign supreme when discussing health benefits.

So 50-years old, man or woman, start working out today. And make it regular. It's the greatest thing you can do to extend your life, and improve it's quality NOW. Just do it.

Older Americans Living Longer

Older Americans are wealthier and living longer than ever before. So says the National Institute on Aging's report titled, Older Americans 2008. According to the report, the number of older people in the U.S. living in poverty has gone down, education has increased, and life expectancy has increased.

Americans today are living on average to 84 years old--that's seven years older than the generation that turned 65 in 1900. Despite this, some problems exist. For instance, obesity has risen significantly in the last 10-15 years. In the 2005-2006 study period, 37 percent of women aged 65 to 74 were obese, and 24 percent of women age 75+ were obese. This is up from the 1988-1994 study period, when 27 percent of women age 65 to 74 and 19 percent of women age 75 and over were obese.

Despite evidence showing exercise to improve and prolong life, older Americans are just not jumping on the bandwagon. Only 25% of people 65 and over are exercising or participating in leisure-time physical activity on a regular basis. No bueno. And no surprise that health care costs rise significantly every year following peoples' 65th birthday

So some good news and some not so great news about areas that can definitely use improvement. Overall though, I think quality of life is improving for people as they get older, and I think as health and wellness becomes more ingrained into the public consciousness, these numbers will only get better.

Hundred Years Old Might Be The Norm

Living to be one hundred may not be so unique in the near future. In fact, even chronic disease sufferers might have a shot. So says a new study out of the University of Rochester, proclaiming that diabetics and people with heart disease can also reach the centenarian mark.

The study, to be published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, interviewed over 500 women and 200 men who had reached 100 years old. Almost two thirds of the participants said they had avoided significant age-related ailments; however, the others had all had at least one significant age-related disease before the age of 39, but ended up functioning pretty well anyway, nearly as well as their disease-free peers.

Another larger study, conducted at Harvard, showed that men in their 70s who did not smoke, were not obese, were active, and free of diabetes or high blood pressure had a good chance of living well into their 90s with excellent physical and mental capacities. According to lead author, Dr. Laurel Yates of Havard's Brigham and Women's Hospital, "It's not just luck, it's not just genetics...It's lifestyle" that seems to make a big difference.

Yes! Yes! That's it! Lifestyle habits determine how you function. Lifestyle habits are integral to the way you feel. Lifestyle habits preserve life. Go figure. I love when these studies come out, because they verify everything I'm trying to get across to you. It doesn't mean you have to become Jack Lalanne; but practicing even two of the six keys to optimal health can have extraordinary benefits. In the Harvard study, they found that each risk factor decreased the chances of survival incrementally. So you must see that the opposite also applies: Every risk factor you eliminate, every healthy habit you adopt, will increase your level of health--and your life expectancy--incrementally as well.

But best of all is what the studies' authors point out: It's never to late to start. Adopting healthy lifestyle habits (and eliminating risk factors), even in to one's 70s, can have positive, life-enhancing effects. Get it? Never too late! So I'll let Dr. Yates finish it off with something I might have said myself, "Get your shoes on, get out there, and do some exercise," she said. "These are some things you can do" to increase the chances of a long life. Amen, Sister.

America's Health Slips Some More

Just another blow to American health care. New reports show the U.S. slipping in life expectancy rankings compared to other countries of the world. In my book, The Six Keys to Optimal Health, I point out that the World Health Organization (WHO) ranks the U.S. 37th out of 191 nations with regard to overall health. And now we've fallen to number 42 on the life expectancy chart with countries such as Jordan, Guam, and the Caymen Islands ranking ahead of us.

Can anybody else see the paradox in all of this? How can one of the richest nations in the world, the most technologically advanced, and the most medically innovative fall so low on the world health scale? Some very important people in health care and politics (as well as one obnoxious film maker) believe it's because we do not have socialized health care. But is it?

Let's look at the facts. The biggest killers in this country are heart disease and cancer, both preventable conditions, not a lack of medical care. Perhaps, a lack of access leads to a few less saved lives, but these people are still having heart attacks. The problem, once again, has to do with our current health paradigm. It's all about saving the lives of people who are dying, rather than preserving the lives of people who are living, before they get ill. Duh. What's so hard about that concept? Why don't these brilliant policy makers see that? I just don't get it.

This doesn't mean we shouldn't focus on saving lives - heck no. Please save my life, my wife's, or my daughter's if you can. Please! I'm ever so grateful for having the best system in the world for doing that (there is no denying that we are at the very top in saving lives in the U.S.). But we are talking about health and life expectancy here. Very different concepts indeed. Health and life expectancy depend on what we do to take care of ourselves, not how quickly you can perform a bypass surgery on Mr. Jones, whose left anterior descending artery is clogged shut.

If we continue to make the process of saving lives the focus of health, then we're fighting a losing battle. Don't get me wrong, innovation in the medical sciences will continue to flourish, and newer, more incredible ways to save lives will be discovered for years to come. And it will continue to be a trillion, maybe even quadrillion, dollar industry. You certainly can't complain about that. However, if we are to ever raise our position within the world health rankings, then we will need to start by focusing on the basics - that is, doing the things that preserve and optimize health; diet, exercise, bodywork, rest, and so on. There isn't a better place to start than by learning how, and I know of a great source coming out this fall that can guide you purposefully. Stay tuned for more.