These Are the World's Healthiest Nations

[NW-Bound]

US came in at 35. With all the money we spend on healthcare I would have expected to be on top 10...

Yes, the US spends a lot more money on healthcare, but there are many reasons for it.

I have long suspected one factor (out of many), and recently found that researchers have confirmed it. That is the US spends a lot more money on cancer treatments than other developed countries. And the statistics show that cancer survival rates are higher in the US than in other countries.

And we all know how expensive it is to treat cancers, and to keep stage IV patients alive.

Search the Web, and you will see many articles on this subject.

PS. You can spend $1 million to extend the life of a cancer patient by 6 months. That will not bring up the average longevity of the population, if that patient is only 1 out of 100 or more people.

 

[braumeister]

Interesting, different physical reactions people undergo.

Huge individual differences there.
I remember my father simply deciding to quit one day. He stopped smoking, no big deal, end of story.

In my case it was one of the hardest things I ever tried to do, and I tried probably 100 times over quite a few years. What finally did it was a case of double pneumonia where I simply couldn't smoke for about three weeks. When I felt well enough, I just took it one day at a time, but it was still brutal.

 

[Music Lover]

Regardless of how easy it is to eat bad food and not exercise, the reality is that all the information one needs to eat healthy and get fit is a click away on the internet.

If I look at my 20 closest friends and family, myself and one other couple I know are the only people who exercise regularly. 3 out of 20. A lot of the others eat somewhat healthy and have more or less "normal" weight levels, but none of them do any exercise.

 

[flintnational]

Hmmm...not to get political but I can't resist adding that the current leader of the US, is officially obese, eats junk food and doesn't exercise. Definitely not a poster boy for healthy living.

I prefer to blame our current obesity problem on Captain Kangaroo. If only we had followed the example set by a svelte Mr. Green Jeans instead.

 

[Music Lover]

Hmmm...not to get political but I can't resist adding that the current leader of the US, is officially obese, eats junk food and doesn't exercise. Definitely not a poster boy for healthy living.

If you wanted to be truly non-political you could have said that both candidates failed the "healthy lifestyle" standard.

 

[MichaelB]

Hmmm...not to get political but I can't resist adding that the current leader of the US, is officially obese, eats junk food and doesn't exercise. Definitely not a poster boy for healthy living.

If you wanted to be truly non-political you could have said that both candidates failed the "healthy lifestyle" standard.

Both statements are political. What Music Lover suggests would make it non-partisan.

 

[flintnational]

Both statements are political. What Music Lover suggests would make it non-partisan.

Yea, but my Capt. Kangaroo post was non-political and non-partisan. Heck, I don't even know Capt. K's or Mr. GJ's political affiliations. But, from his farmer persona, I highly suspect Mr. GJ was a flyover state Republican.

 

[haha]

Hmmm...not to get political but I can't resist adding that the current leader of the US, is officially obese, eats junk food and doesn't exercise. Definitely not a poster boy for healthy living.

Yet it seems to work for him.

Ha

 

[NW-Bound]

Luck trumps anything else (pun unintended).

Look at Buffett for example. Has anyone seen him at a gym? He plays bridge 8 hours/week, but I have not seen a photo of him hiking, playing golf, or doing any physical thing. He eats hamburgers, fries, candies, and drinks Coke. I will be glad to be like him if and when I get to that age.

 

[Alan]

My great grandad, who I knew quite well, went down the coal mines at age 12, signed up with the army in 1914 and spent 4 years in France and Belgium in WWI. We got his army records and confirmed that he was shot in the arm, gassed twice and discharged 60% disabled in 1919. He then went back down the pit and “retired early” in 1939 at age 62 when he fell down a mine shaft and shattered both legs, requiring one to be amputee below the knee. Like all my family he was also a smoker and lived until he was 92.

My Dad was also an underground miner for over 40 years, from age 14 in 1939, and a heavy smoker, and lived to age 84. Like my great granddad he was always slim.

I just hope some of those genes have made their way to me. My brother and 2 sisters are all obese.

 

[becca]

To make it non political I will note that our previous two presidents, (of different political parties) were both fit and appeared to lead healthy lifestyles. I'm just saying when we have leaders who don't promote and encourage (by example) our citizens adopting healthy habits, we are going to be a sick country. We have a terrible obesity crisis in this country and it is killing our healthcare system. Not to mention that it is costing big $ for everyone who pays taxes.

 

[NW-Bound]

Imagine a candidate trying to promote health and fitness, let alone using him/herself as an example.

We will see how many voters get upset and vote for the other guy. "Who are you to tell us what to eat and drink?"

 

[MRG]

Imagine a candidate trying to promote health and fitness, let alone using him/herself as an example.

We will see how many voters get upset and vote for the other guy. "Who are you to tell us what to eat and drink?"

I think I've already heard some of that about someone.

 

[braumeister]

I prefer to give some significant credence to Jeanne Calment. What her story tells me is that no matter how you live your life, you just never know.

Jeanne Calment spent her life doing almost everything that doctors advise against if you want to live a long life. She smoked, she drank, she played with guns, she ate excessive amounts of sugar and red meat, and she never ate breakfast, save for a cup or two of coffee.
She also lived to be 122 years, five months, and 14 days old.

Here she is on her 120th birthday, with a glass of wine:

When Jeanne Calment died, at age 122, she was 4’6″, weighed 88 pounds, and despite being almost fully blind, was in relatively good health considering her age.
She was still eating sweets and drinking cheap red wine until her death in 1997, and had only quit smoking a year prior, claiming that it was her reliance on all of the above that kept her around so long.

Of course, I freely admit that eating right and exercising regularly makes me feel better, so that's the other side of the coin.

 

[samclem]

To make it non political I will note that our previous two presidents, (of different political parties) were both fit and appeared to lead healthy lifestyles. I'm just saying when we have leaders who don't promote and encourage (by example) our citizens adopting healthy habits, we are going to be a sick country. We have a terrible obesity crisis in this country and it is killing our healthcare system. Not to mention that it is costing big $ for everyone who pays taxes.

.
I'm not sure many people are looking to any president to be their guide to fitness, any more than they expect their doctor or personal trainer to lead the country's political system.
But I suppose as a role model, a fit president with good health habits (e.g. no smoking, taking exercise, no/moderate alcohol consumption) would be viewed as a plus by some.

 

[Nick12]

.
I'm not sure many people are looking to any president to be their guide to fitness, any more than they expect their doctor or personal trainer to lead the country's political system.
But I suppose as a role model, a fit president with good health habits (e.g. no smoking, taking exercise, no/moderate alcohol consumption) would be viewed as a plus by some.

The terminator who governed CA might have had issues while in office but to the body building fitness industry, he is the king.

 

[Music Lover]

Of course, I freely admit that eating right and exercising regularly makes me feel better, so that's the other side of the coin.

That's what it comes down to for me...I can't change genetics or what's in store, but I can make darn sure that by eating right and exercising that I enjoy a good quality of life for whatever amount of time I have left.

 

[Ronstar]

That's what it comes down to for me...I can't change genetics or what's in store, but I can make darn sure that by eating right and exercising that I enjoy a good quality of life for whatever amount of time I have left.

+1. That’s the way I see it also.

 

[swguy]

To make it non political I will note that our previous two presidents, (of different political parties) were both fit and appeared to lead healthy lifestyles. I'm just saying when we have leaders who don't promote and encourage (by example) our citizens adopting healthy habits, we are going to be a sick country. We have a terrible obesity crisis in this country and it is killing our healthcare system. Not to mention that it is costing big $ for everyone who pays taxes.

One of those previous two presidents was a smoker.

 

[Cut-Throat]

One of those previous two presidents was a smoker.

among other substances.........



***********************************************************
"George W. Bush was a known alcohol abuser prior to gaining high office, including a DUI in 1976, and he admits to being a smoker for “about 9 years.” Other reports relate stories of him smoking in the White House along with his wife, Laura. Bush claimed he had used dipping snuff as an alternate to cigarettes (not a safe alternative!) and then switched to chewing tobacco as a way to quit using snuff. Bush was coy about his answers to questions of marijuana and cocaine use, but the strong implication is that he used both drugs prior to getting elected Governor and President."
***********************************************************

 

[swguy]

among other substances.........



***********************************************************
"George W. Bush was a known alcohol abuser prior to gaining high office, including a DUI in 1976, and he admits to being a smoker for “about 9 years.” Other reports relate stories of him smoking in the White House along with his wife, Laura. Bush claimed he had used dipping snuff as an alternate to cigarettes (not a safe alternative!) and then switched to chewing tobacco as a way to quit using snuff. Bush was coy about his answers to questions of marijuana and cocaine use, but the strong implication is that he used both drugs prior to getting elected Governor and President."
***********************************************************

Then both were smokers, my bad [emoji3]

 

[youbet]

And with the other guy it was more than “implications.”

 

[NW-Bound]

Why are we suddenly looking towards our politicians for health models?

Did Spain, the highest country on the list in the OP article, recently get a role model healthy prime minister?

PS. Here he is, Pedro Sanchez.

 

[GravitySucks]

Lots of posts saying being overweight is killing Americans, but this claims people overweight in their 70s and drinking moderately live longer.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/robins...weight-in-their-70s-live-longer/#5526bf19695c

 

[NW-Bound]

Here's a photo of Sanchez and Trudeau.

Both look very healthy, trim, and fit, although we do not know if they have some unhealthy habits out of public eyes.

By the way, Canada is #16 on the list. Not great, but far ahead of the US at 35.

The UK is 19. Australia is the only English-speaking nation making it into the top 10, with a ranking of 7. I am surprised that New Zealand is #18, far below Australia. What do the Kiwis do wrong, compared to their Aussie cousins?