I’m Dr. Cindy Haines of HealthDay TV… making news this week…
Surprises about the state of healthcare in America.
More evidence of how obesity may shorten your life.
Plus positive news about exercise during pregnancy.
First… a brand new study that provides a healthy dose of reality about the US healthcare system.
Using data gathered since 1980…researchers have debunked a number of common beliefs including… that baby boomers are to blame for rising health care costs.
According to the research, it’s not the demand for services…but the cost of prescription drugs, medical devices and other treatments that’s the problem. Spending in these areas has increased 91-percent since 2000.
Chronic illnesses account for 84 percent of costs among the entire population but patients under 65 account for 67-percent of that spending.
One final finding that may surprise you? Personal out-of-pocket spending on insurance actually declined from 23 percent to 11 percent since 1980.
Up next… another important reason to maintain a healthy weight.
A new study finds that obesity can shorten your life…and seriously impact your chances of growing old without significant disease or disability.
Using body mass index and waist circumference data from more 36-thousand women…the team found obese women were more likely to die before the age of 85 and overweight and obese women had higher risks of major chronic disease and mobility disability.
More than one-third of American adults…nearly 36-percent… are obese.
Finally, news about exercising while pregnant
Researchers recruited women during their first trimester…then randomly assigned them to an active group where they were asked to exercise for at least 20 minutes three times per week…or a sedentary group.
8 to 12 days after birth…the newborns brain activity was measured by EEG.
The babies with active moms had a more mature cerebral activation, suggesting that their brains developed more rapidly than those born after months of inactivity.
The researchers are now following the children’s development at age 1 to see if the benefit of Mom’s exercise lingers.
I’m Dr. Cindy Haines of HealthDay TV with the health news that matters to you.
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