h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

From CNN March 2005

QUOTE

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- U.S. life expectancy will fall dramatically in coming years because of obesity, a startling shift in a long-running trend toward longer lives, researchers contend in a report published Thursday.

By their calculations -- disputed by skeptics as shaky and overly dire -- within 50 years obesity likely will shorten the average life span of 77.6 years by at least two to five years. That's more than the impact of cancer or heart disease, said lead author S. Jay Olshansky, a longevity researcher at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

This would reverse the mostly steady increase in American life expectancy that has occurred in the past two centuries and would have tremendous social and economic consequences that could even inadvertently help "save" Social Security, Olshansky and colleagues contend.

END QUOTE

So the way to save Social Security is to eat every meal at McDonald's.

I don't think anybody wants to save Social Security THAT way. I'm sure we'd all prefer a little fiscal and dietary responsibility instead.

With previous generations, advances in medicine have worked significantly well in preventing obesity from lowering life expectancy. People still died of obesity-related complications in huge numbers, but they managed to live as long as they parents before doing so.

Now medical research has hit a ceiling. This is partly because most traditional methods have run to their limits, and it's partly due to our own government's restrictions on certain research. At this point, main medical improvements will come in the form of earlier intervention. And this will only work if people agree to change habits.

And meanwhile, children are becoming obese in incredible numbers. This, too, can be traced partly to government policies. Low school funding has cut many physical education classes. Meanwhile, schools are trying to make up some of the difference by cutting back on options in the cafeteria and installing soda and snack machines in the hallways.

It doesn't help that the outside has become a poor place to play for many kids, while games and other media are more attractive inside. These are habits that will be hard to grow out of, leaving us with an overall poor impression of what will happen when we ask these kids to change their life habits at the age of 40+.

There are many solutions we could try, but the worst thing we could do is exactly what we're doing now -- nothing at all.

Agreed on all points, my original post simply exposes my growing cynicism. When you say "And this will only work if people agree to change habits", I do not get a warm feeling. I read somewhere that only 4% of Americans actually do the things recommended for good health - stop smoking, exercise regularly, eat fruits & vegetables & whole grains, avoid fat, watch their weight.

As a North American in upper middle age, I am appalled by the general lack of fitness among the pre-teens. This certainly doesn't bode well for their future health and life-expectancy. It seems too many of them are stuck behind computers playing silly games rather than keeping their bodies toned and fit. And who else can be blamed for this woeful state of unfitness but their parents?

From personal observation, it it easy to conclude that the teenagers of the 1950's and '60's were (on average)in far better condition that the present generation. Maybe that is because 50 years ago there fewer people relied on cars and kids routinely walked or rode bicycles to get around. Todays high-fat diets have only exacerbated the problem.

There are some exceptional teens today who are super-fit -- probably a lot fitter than the teens of yesteryear; but they represent a small minority. Too many young fellows today carry more than 25% body fat. They couldn't run a flat-out 400 meters if they were paid to. Fifty years ago almost all younger guys would have carried around 15-18% body fat.

Agreed. I mentioned on another conversation that someone suggested comparing class photos from decades back with today's. Big difference in the weight of the kids.