A new study just released from Public Health England concludes that 4 out of 5 Brits between the ages of 40 - 60 are fat, lazy and/or alcoholics, characteristics which the study shockingly found to be having an adverse effect on the group's long-term health.
The study, which compared data collected from 40 - 60 year olds between 2011 - 2013 to similar data collected 20 years prior found that Brits, both men and women, were almost universally less healthy on nearly every metric tested...a fact that researchers attributed to the sedentary nature of our modern lifestyles.
The demands of modern day living are taking their toll on the health of the nation, and it’s those in middle age that are suffering the consequences most, as their health reaches worrying new levels.
Over 15 million Britons are living with a long term health condition, and busy lives and desk jobs make it difficult to live healthily. But just making a few small changes will have significant benefits to people’s health now and in later life.
We know that people often bury their heads in the sand when it comes to their general health but the consequences of doing nothing can be catastrophic. There are an estimated 11.9 million people at increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in the UK because of their lifestyle and more than one million who already have the condition but have not yet been diagnosed.
Type 2 diabetes can lead to serious complications such as amputation, blindness, heart attack, stroke and kidney disease. We know how hard it is to change the habits of a lifetime but we want people to seek the help they need to lose weight, stop smoking and take more exercise.
As Dr. Joan Costa-Font of the London School of Economics points out, while our lifestyles have certainly grown more sedentary over the decades our caloric intake has not changed to match the decline in activity. Per RT:
“Typically, life in the 21st century might mean a commute into a desk-based occupation, and three or four meals a day, leading to many people consuming more calories than their lifestyles require,” said London School of Economics researcher Dr. Joan Costa-Font.
“We still eat like our parents did, or worse, but we don’t move around nearly as much as they did. People no longer have to visit each other to hold a face-to-face conversation, they can simply Skype. We jump in the car or the bus or the Tube rather than walking.
“As lifestyles have slowed down and become more sedate, people haven’t amended their calorie intake accordingly. We should all eat less.”
Looking at the actual figures, over 75% of men sampled in 2011-2013 were considered overweight with over 30% of those considered obese/severely obese compared to only 16%, 20 years prior.
While not quite as bad as the men, 28% of women were also found to be obese/severely obese compared to 20%, 20 years ago.
Meanwhile, even though British men seem to be drinking about as much as they did 20 years ago...
...a lot more British women seem to be joining the party these days than back in the early 90s.
And, of course, all the extra fun has it's consequences as the occurrence of heart disease, diabetes and mental disorders have all soared among British men....
...and women.
Oh well, we hear the last 10 years are the least fun anyway....Party on, middle-aged Brits!