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Are You Healthy?Unhealthy Lifestyle Led by Over 95% of AmericansA healthy lifestyle that includes not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, regular exercise and a diet containing lots of fruits and vegetables lessens the risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. According to a study, published in the April 25th edition of the Archives of Internal Medicine, led by Mathew J. Reeves who is the lead researcher and epidemiologist at Michigan State University, only 3% of Americans lead a healthy lifestyle. Study Shocks ResearcherDr. Reeves said he was shocked by the results, which surveyed over 150,000 Americans. The researchers found that only 23.3% of Americans eat the minimum recommended amount of five daily servings of fruits and vegetables, 76% do not smoke, 40.1% maintain a healthy weight, and 22.2% exercise for at least 30 minutes, five times a week.Dr. Reeves said that before the study was conducted, he had expected results that would show that 15% of Americans are leading a healthy lifestyle, as opposed to the 3% that the study shows. He also mentioned that the U.S. presently spends about 1.5 trillion annually in health-care costs. The study, which looked at various demographics, is thought to be the first to measure healthy-lifestyle characteristics. DemographicsCollege educated individuals, and those from households with annual incomes of $75,000 or more, did slightly better in regard to their lifestyle choices than the other groups studied.The study also showed that women did better than men, and people who were between the ages of 35 to 44 responded with the worst answers, while people 65 and older did the best in regard to living a healthy lifestyle. Alcohol consumption was not a factor in the study because of the controversy over its risks and benefits. Source: Archives of Internal Medicine Submitted by Doctor's Trust
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