In medicine we get so used to dealing with statistics that we don't always remember that there are real people behind these facts. I recently quoted the statistic that children born today will not live as long or as well as their parents. Many of you could well be thinking, "That's my children or grandchildren you're talking about!"Indeed, these are the children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews that belong to all of us. These are the people we love. How did we get this way? What does science tell us about the health of generation Y2K? How can we steer them into better health?
Generation lost
The health of the Y2K generation (those born in the New Millennium) is a direct "cause and effect" relationship of the health choices made in the previous 50 years. Since the end of World War II, North American and Western European diets have contained more fat, more sugar and fewer nutrients. At the same time, physical activity has declined and television viewing has increased. People are also getting less sunshine and less sleep - two elements critical for health!
The health consequences to our Y2K generation could be compared to planting a seed of "convenience" in the 1940s, nourishing the sapling with inactivity in the 1950s and 1960s, seeing the blossoms on the tree in the 1970s and 1980s (the rapid decline in our own health and the rapid increase in our waistlines), and bearing full fruit of a lost generation beginning in the 1990s until today.
How bad is it?
According to popular resources such as The National Post in Canada and esteemed scientific journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, there is a s
harp decline of several years in expected longevity and a dramatic rise in disease risk - especially diseases associated with obesity (e.g., heart disease, cancer, diabetes). It is pervasive across all social and economic groups; but of course, the disease rates increase for people in lower economic regions.Just imagine: The health gains of the past 1,000 years are erased in one generation! It is comparable to a global recession where financial gains and wealth of a lifetime are wiped out in a matter of minutes.
Steer a new course
Imagine your health is like the voyage of a cruise ship. If that ship is the Titanic you immediately know that it may not have a happy ending. If the captain of the Titanic knew in advance the certainty of losing his ship, he would change his course. Our health and the health of our children, grandchildren and community are on the same dangerous path as the Titanic.
Science and our own experience tell us that by staying on a particular course we will have a health catastrophe. However, by changing that course even a little we can have a successful journey for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren.
Proper nutrition and nurturing can help us steer a healthier course. So, eat a balanced diet with healthy proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Select organic when possible - grow your own garden when possible.
Take Healthy Aging nutrients every day (try replacing Sublingual B-12 with Super Sublingual B-12 if you often experience allergies, insomnia, indigestion or muscle aches). Get your sunshine and your sleep. Turn off the TV, go for a walk and take those Y2K kids with you!
Be an example and be an educator of the simple but profound health principles found in the 10 Essentials of Health and Wellness.
Plant a seed of hope, knowledge and proper self-care in this generation, and we can be content knowing it will sprout, mature and bear healthy fruit for generations to come.
TriVita's Weekly Wellness Report [weeklywellnessreport@trivita.com
