Yesterday, I told you about the shrinking American life span, thanks to the epidemic of obesity and flattening smoking cessation rates. Today's news is particularly grim for baby boomers in the 55-64 range, according to the National Center for Health Statistics' Health, United States, 2005 report, considering that age group will swell by a third to 40 million by 2014.
Half of the Americans currently in their Baby Boomer years have high blood pressure and 40 percent of them are obese (obesity). And they have severe health problems -- diabetes and heart disease -- and more often too.
Especially hurt by chronic, crippling disease during the Baby Boomers years are African-Americans and Hispanics, and many of them have no health insurance to speak of either.
Other low lights from the study:
Some 20 percent of patients older than age 59 suffer from diabetes.
Only a third of adults exercise actively.
The rate of obesity and overweight among adults ages 20-74 (based on numbers collected between 1999-2002) shot up to a frightening 65 percent.
And, if you think our government will take care of you when your poor health takes a turn for the worse, forget it as they'll be completely unable to handle that looming financial avalanche. Thankfully, you have the free tools at hand on my Web site to make changes that can bolster your health for the long term. Here's a few quick tips and links to get you started and a handy way to remember them:
M etabolic type
E xercise and lower insulin
R eplace trans fats with fish oil
C lean water
O ne hour of sunshine
L earn to sleep better
A void artificial sweeteners
National Center for Health Statistics December 8, 2005
Free Full Text PDF
Yahoo News December 8, 2005
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