If you're like most working Americans, you haven't saved much for your retirement. But when asked,
3 out of 4 said that given the opportunity to go back in time, they'd save more the 2nd time around. After all,
who puts away 16.6% of their income each paycheck? Well, here's some motivation: the
average monthly check from Social Security is just $1,230. Of course, if you don't plan to live past retirement, then why worry, right?
As a corollary, many of us think of poor health as something that happens in the future. But instead of investing in our future, we make excuses like not having enough time now to eat right & exercise because we're too busy. But in a
prospective observational study published early online in Pediatrics, the
authors concluded that the risk of dying before 55yo was associated w/obesity, smoking & diabetes in adolescents & young adults.
By following 9,245 participants aged 12-39yo in NHANES III for 12-18yrs, the authors noted that smoking increased risk of early death by 86% compared to non-smokers, as expected. Those with a weight-to-height ratio (WHR) of
>0.65 had more than double the risk of early death compared to those with WHR <0.5. And those w/HgbA1c (a running 3 month average of sugar control)
>6.5 had close to 4x risk of early death compared to those w/HgbA1c <5.7.
Of course, the relative risk noted above was derived after adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity & comorbidities. Bottom line: we need to invest in our children's health if they are to avoid an early demise. PS Remind them to save more money since they're going to live longer!
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