:: Martin Collis

M J Reeves et al writing in Journal of the American Medical Association conclude that only 3% of 153,000 people from all 50 States live a basic healthy lifestyle. Their 4 criteria for a healthy lifestyle are:

1. Non-smoking
2. Healthy weight
3. Consuming five or more fruits and vegetables daily
4. Regular physical activity

76% were non-smoking, 40% maintained a healthy weight, 23% eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables per day and 22% take regular exercise. Only 3% did all four. It may well be less than that as the results were based on telephone surveys and many people lie.

This just reinforces the numerical inevitability that living a simple healthy lifestyle provides the health that nearly everyone wants and expects but few are prepared to live for.

Belloc and Breslow: Seven Health Factors for Longevity

Thirty-two years ago Belloc and Breslow questioned 7000 people of Alameda County, California, about lifestyle and determined 7 lifestyle habits/behaviors that added to the quantity and quality of life.

1. Breakfast in the morning.
2. Minimal snacking (Most food was consumed in a more formal meal setting).
3. Enough sleep. Minimum of 6 hours.
4. No smoking
5. Moderate alcohol. Average 2 or less drinks a day with no binge drinking.
6. Regular exercise, 30 minutes a day.
7. Weight maintenance.

They found that people who followed 6 or 7 of the 7 habits were likely to have an average of 10/11 extra years of quality life compared with those who practiced fewer than 3.

Belloc and Breslow created a “Health Age” based on one’s lifestyle. For instance if your chronological age is 40 and you follow all 7 habits you will have a ‘health age’ of 27. Whereas a 40-year-old practicing only 2 of the habits will have a ‘health age’ of 59, a dramatic shortening of life expectancy.

Canadians Continue to Get Fatter—Statistics Canada—6 July 2005

	Obese (BMI 30)
	1978/79	2004
Adults	14%	23%
Children (Aged 2-17)	3%	8%
Adolescents	3%	9%
Young Adults (25-34)	9%	21%
Seniors (over 75)	11%	24%

Not many silver linings in the above figures. The trend is probably exaggerated as most of the 78/79 figures were reported, while the 2004 figures were measured. Stats Canada found a correlation between the amount of screen time spent by teens and their likelihood of being overweight or obese.

Based on this study of 35,000 people, 60% of Canadians are either overweight (BMI 25+) or obese (BMI 30+).

The Mennonite Advantage

A recent study by the Canadian Institute for Health Information looked at fitness, fatness and activity levels of 3 groups of children aged 8 – 13.

1. Old Order Mennonite children from Ontario
2. Urban Saskatchewan children
3. Rural Saskatchewan children

The biggest single difference was that the Mennonite kids did more chores. They didn’t have a school PE program, they didn’t have an organized sports program, but they were active 18 minutes a day more than their non-Mennonite counterparts. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but adds up to 15,000 extra calories a year or about 40lbs of fat per person per decade. Not surprisingly the Mennonite kids were, on average, slimmer, fitter and stronger.

Manitoba School Children Need Help

The 2005 Statistics Canada survey found that Manitoba’s kids were among the heaviest in Canada, 8% were obese and another 18% overweight. In other words, about a quarter of the children in the province are overweight or obese. Healthy Living Minister, Theresa Oswald, commissioned a task force (don’t politicians love to create task forces?) Their solutions were that schools should develop “food and nutrition policies”, which will probably require another couple of task forces. In addition, Grade 11 and 12 students will now be required to complete 2 physical education or health credits. It’s not hard to imagine the heavy kids lining up to do a health class where you might have to read a bit and watch some videos, but you won’t have to work up a sweat. Oswald’s task force ruled out banning the sale of junk food and mandatory daily physical education classes. This should keep the fast food vendors happy, the curriculum planners and administrators can study ‘food and nutrition policies’ and the children will just get fatter. They need their own Jamie Oliver or perhaps check out the list created by the Strang Cancer Prevention Center in New York City for healthy children and healthy futures.

• Spend at least one hour a day being physically active.
• Spend less than two hours a day watching TV and playing video and computer games.
• Eat at least five fruits and vegetables a day.
• Snack more on healthy foods and less on junk foods and sweets.
• Drink or eat at least three low fat dairy foods a day.
• Drink at least two glasses/bottles of water a day instead of soft drinks.
• Eat less fast food (no more than twice a week) and make healthier fast food choices.
• Eat smaller portions.

The Thousand Families Study—Newcastle University, England

This study follows the health and development of children born in Newcastle in May and June 1947. So the subjects have now been followed for 58 years. People had hypothesized that susceptibility to Type 2 diabetes was related to poor growth in fetal and infant life, but the Newcastle study looking at 58 years of data found that lifestyle is overwhelmingly the most important factor in the development of Type 2 diabetes. They found that the higher the participant’s percent of body fat and waist/hip ratio the more likely they were to demonstrate increased insulin resistance,

You don’t have to read ‘Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire’ to see a society that’s in danger of slip sliding away. We don’t need any more research studies to tell us that we have to be physically active and eat wholesome, natural foods. We spend billions and billions on sick care and a tiny fraction of that on physical activity and good nutrition. One of the reasons we export jobs to other countries is that companies cannot afford the health (sick) care premiums. We expect too little of our children in terms of them doing physical chores, walking to school and being active on a daily basis. It takes will, work and vision to change cultural patterns and maybe a realization that we’ve lost our way on our journey to the Promised Land. However, the theme of this issue is that anything is possible. Maybe if we could persuade presidents and prime ministers that Osama Bin Laden was trying to fatten us up and make us weak, we would quickly see funds made available and a Federal focus on producing a people who could be all that they could be.