Tag Archives: lifespan

This Just In! Obesity Reduces Lifespan

Posted on January 12, 2015 | Comments Off on This Just In! Obesity Reduces Lifespan
I'm worried about the kid's future health

I’m worried about the kid’s future health, too

MedPageToday has the details. A quote:

In a computer modeling study, very obese men lost just over 8 years of life compared with normal-weight men, and very obese women lost as many as 6 years, Steven Grover, PhD, of McGill University, and colleagues reported online in the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology.

They also found that very obese men and women (defined as a body mass index [BMI] of 35 and higher) lost about 19 years of healthy life, defined as living free of chronic disease such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Note that “very obese” in this context has a specific definition: body mass index 35 or higher. Calculate yours.

The number of life years lost to obesity and disease were highest for those who were very obese in young adulthood and presumably stayed obese for years. In other words, becoming very obese at age 25 is more threatening than onset 60.

I first got interested in weight loss in the 1990s when I had an office-based primary care medical practice. It was obvious that many of the medical problems I was treating were related to years of obesity. Believe me, you’re much better off preventing those problems via diet and exercise.

Click for The Lancet study abstract.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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Posted in Longevity, Overweight

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Fruits and Vegetables May Increase Lifespan, Decrease Cancer and Heart Disease

Posted on May 22, 2014 | 2 comments

MedPageToday has some of the details.  A quote:

The largest benefits were seen in people who ate seven or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day compared with those who ate less than one serving, with the higher level of consumption associated with significantly lower all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 0.67; 95% CI 0.58-0.78), lead researcher Oyinlola Oyebode of University College London, and colleagues, reported online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

diabetic diet, paleobetic diet, low-carb diet

Prepping for bacon brussels sprouts 

The population under study was English. In addition to lower risk of death, the heavy fruit and vegetable consumers had lower rates of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Click for the actual research report.

If seven servings a day seems like a lot, note that a typical serving is only half a cup. You’ll get those with the Paleobetic Diet.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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Posted in Fruit, Heart Disease, Longevity, Vegetables

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Life Expectancy for Type 1 Diabetics Much Improved

Posted on October 13, 2013 | Comments Off on Life Expectancy for Type 1 Diabetics Much Improved

…but we’ve got a long way to go.

When I started my medical career three decades ago, it was rare to see a type 1 diabetic exceed 60 years of age. Thank God that has been changing for the better! A recent Scottish study found life expectancy in type 1 diabetics, compared to the general population, was 11 years shorter for men and 14 years shorter for women. In 1975, the gap was 27 years. One of the investigators was quoted by the article at MedPageToday:

“There is absolutely no doubt that glucose control is important for long-term outcomes in people with type 1 diabetes.”

From the Framingham Heart Study: Compared to those without diabetes, women and men with diabetes at age 50 died 7 or 8 years earlier, on average. This study population was a mix of type 2 and type 2 diabetes, with type 2 predominating, I’m sure.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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Posted in Longevity

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