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We're Living Longer
The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) says
people in the US are living longer than ever. Life expectancy in
2002 hit 77.4 years.
Mortality rates for heart disease, stroke, accidents
and cancer all decreased. While the rates for Alzheimer's disease,
flu and pneumonia, high blood pressure and blood poisoning increased.
The NCHS says while we are living longer, infant mortality
increased from a rate of 6.8 infants deaths per 1,000 life births
in 2001 to a rate of 7 per 1,000 in 2002. It's the first time since
1958 that the infant mortality rate has not fallen or remained unchanged.
Hold the Salt
Despite the fact that the average person already consumes
more salt than is recommended, a new nutrition report says the maximum
amount we have should be even lower. The new recommendation from
the Institute of Medicine is 1,500 milligrams a day. The government
currently recommends no more than 2,400mg a day or the equivalent
of a heaping teaspoon of salt.
Despite the recommendation, however, studies show the
average person eats more than 4,000mg a day mostly from restaurant
meals and processed convenience foods like soup and frozen dinners.
Doctors say salt and blood pressure go hand-in-hand.
Even though weight and exercise play a role, generally, the more
salt a person eats the higher the blood pressure.
The Price of Obesity
It's billed as a US health epidemic. Obesity. A recent
study says obese Americans, those who are 30 or more pounds over
a healthy weight, cost the US about $75 billion in weight-related
medical bills last year.
It's known that extra weight increases the risk of heart
disease, diabetes, some cancers and other diseases. It's also known
that 65 percent of Americans weigh too much. And, we're paying the
price. A recent study conducted by a nonprofit group, RTI International,
and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that through
Medicare and Medicaid programs, the public paid about $175 per taxpayer
for obesity-linked illnesses-or about $39 billion.
The researchers say the costs will continue to go up
as obesity goes up.
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