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Imagine, a heart attack, prostate cancer, or another birthday? At some point, every man gets a shocking reminder that he won't be young and healthy forever.
This realization brings up the Big Question: How much time do I have? For a good guess, you could subject yourself to a battery of medical tests, get a few parts probed, and fill out volumes of questionnaires. But for the most accurate forecast, you should ask the Even Bigger Question: How healthy do I feel?
Think carefully. No matter what all of those tests say, your future largely hinges on your answer.
A number of recent studies have uncovered a startling fact: A man's opinion about his health is one of the most important keys to how long he lives.
That's certainly what researchers at Duke University found when they asked almost 3,000 heart patients to rate their health as poor, fair, good, or very good. Those who chose "poor" were about three times more likely than those who chose "very good" to die within the next three and a half years. Even an answer of "good" instead of "very good" increased the risk of death by 70%.
These numbers may not seem particularly shocking. After all, a man who thinks he's in poor shape is usually right. The surprising thing is that in the study, researchers did their best to consider factors such as age, smoking, activity levels, socioeconomic class, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, current diseases, and practically everything else that could affect a person's survival. Even with all of these factors removed from the equation, a man's outlook on his health still stands out as a strong predictor of his survival. Is it a matter of mind? Nobody knows why self-ratings of health are so important to death, but attitude may encourage a person to slip into an unhealthy lifestyle. It is also possible that people know and understand their bodies and can sense trouble approaching. Remember,
You don't even have to be in perfect health to see the bright side. A wheelchair-bound man was once interviewed and claimed to be in excellent health. "His only complaint was that he recently strained his shoulder in a karate class". "He never even mentioned the wheelchair." Not everyone can match this man's positive outlook on life. But we can all take some control over the attitudes that might help us think more positive about ourselves and our health. People should occasionally turn their attention away from risks to their health and focus on the resources they have to stay healthy. And if anyone asks how you feel, try to find something good to say. And mean it.
Submitted by Wanda Parks, RD, LD
Nutrition and Health Promotion Administrator
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