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How long your parents lived does not affect how long you will live.
According to researchers, what matters it is how you live your life. That determines how old you will get.
According to research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, shows that hereditary factors don’t play a major role and that lifestyle has the biggest impact.”
The study group consisted of men born in 1913 that have participated in health and longevity studies in Gothenburg for many years.
Those in the 1913 Men Study who did not smoke, consumed moderate amounts of coffee and had a good socio-economic status at the age of 50 (measured in terms of housing costs), as well as good physical working capacity at the age of 54 and low cholesterol at 50 had the greatest chance of celebrating their 90th birthday.
Many of these factors have previously been identified as playing a role in cardiovascular disease, but the study shows for the first time that they are important for survival in general.
This has enabled researchers to follow the development of illnesses in a specific age group, and to compare the health of 50-year-olds in 2003 with that of 50-year-olds in 1963, for example.
Women have also been included in the study since 2003. Several variables have been studied over the years, including BMI, smoking habits, cholesterol, exercise habits and blood pressure.
The men born in 1913 were examined when they were 50, 54, 60, 67, 75 and 80. Of the 855 men who took part in the study from the start, 111 (13%) were still alive at the age of 90.
Over the years the material has generated many research articles and doctoral theses. An interesting result came in 2008 when researchers were able to show that the drop in the number of smokers, combined with lower cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure, between 1963 and 2003 could offer an explanation for the marked downturn in the number of heart attacks during this 40-year period.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
2011 Long-Term Care Insurance Price Index
A 55-year-old couple purchasing long-term care insurance protection can expect to pay $2,350-per-year (combined) for about $338,000 of current benefits ($169,000 each) which will grow to about $800,000 of combined coverage for the couple when they turn age 80.
The data comes from the 2011 Long-Term Care Insurance Price Index published by the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance http://www.aaltci.org that analyzed rates for 11 long-term care insurance policies. According to the Association report, a 55-year old single individual pays $1,480 annually for comparable coverage. If the 55-year-old couple did not qualify for preferred health discounts, their cost would increase by $325 annually.
“We significantly expanded this year’s survey to include more relevant scenarios for both couples and individuals at varying ages, health conditions and to take into account the significant spread in costs among insurers for virtually identical coverage,” explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the long-term care insurance industry trade organization. The study found that rates for comparable coverage from leading insurers could vary by between 41-to-48 percent.
According to Association research, three-fourths (78%) of long-term care insurance policies are purchased by couples where either both or just one spouse purchases coverage. The average age for individual purchasers is 57, Slome explains with some 76.3 percent of purchases made between ages 45 and 64 according to the Association’s research. The 2011 Price Index analyzed costs for couples at ages 55, 60 and 65.
The study reported rates for individuals who qualify for good-health discounts as well as those who qualify for standard rates as a result of having one or more health issues. In addition, for the first time, the analysis included a three percent compound inflation growth factor versus the five percent formula that has been used in prior studies. “More purchasers are opting for this formula which significantly reduces the cost of coverage and can be quite adequate in terms of future benefits,” Slome explains. The Price Index also looked at rates for policies including the newer Shared Care option whereby two policyholders can each access a combined pool of benefits.
“The shared care option is now highly attractive to couples,” states Larry Moore, Director of Marketing for American Independent Marketing, a leading national marketer. “The ability to purchase a more affordable shorter duration policy but have access to a much larger combined pool of dollars is easy to explain and of great value to the buyer.”
Including the ‘Shared Care’ option, a 65 year old couple with average (standard) health can expect to pay $4,660-per-year (combined) for about $338,000 of current combined benefits which will grow to about $527,000 of coverage at age 80. “To best educate consumers, the Price Index reports average rates individuals can obtain from leading insurers,” Slome explains. “However, for this same level of protection, a 65-year old couple could pay as much as $7,200 a year.”
The complete Price Index will be published in the Association’s 2011 Long-Term Care Insurance. For more information, visit the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance’s website by clicking here.
The data comes from the 2011 Long-Term Care Insurance Price Index published by the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance http://www.aaltci.org that analyzed rates for 11 long-term care insurance policies. According to the Association report, a 55-year old single individual pays $1,480 annually for comparable coverage. If the 55-year-old couple did not qualify for preferred health discounts, their cost would increase by $325 annually.
“We significantly expanded this year’s survey to include more relevant scenarios for both couples and individuals at varying ages, health conditions and to take into account the significant spread in costs among insurers for virtually identical coverage,” explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the long-term care insurance industry trade organization. The study found that rates for comparable coverage from leading insurers could vary by between 41-to-48 percent.
According to Association research, three-fourths (78%) of long-term care insurance policies are purchased by couples where either both or just one spouse purchases coverage. The average age for individual purchasers is 57, Slome explains with some 76.3 percent of purchases made between ages 45 and 64 according to the Association’s research. The 2011 Price Index analyzed costs for couples at ages 55, 60 and 65.
The study reported rates for individuals who qualify for good-health discounts as well as those who qualify for standard rates as a result of having one or more health issues. In addition, for the first time, the analysis included a three percent compound inflation growth factor versus the five percent formula that has been used in prior studies. “More purchasers are opting for this formula which significantly reduces the cost of coverage and can be quite adequate in terms of future benefits,” Slome explains. The Price Index also looked at rates for policies including the newer Shared Care option whereby two policyholders can each access a combined pool of benefits.
“The shared care option is now highly attractive to couples,” states Larry Moore, Director of Marketing for American Independent Marketing, a leading national marketer. “The ability to purchase a more affordable shorter duration policy but have access to a much larger combined pool of dollars is easy to explain and of great value to the buyer.”
Including the ‘Shared Care’ option, a 65 year old couple with average (standard) health can expect to pay $4,660-per-year (combined) for about $338,000 of current combined benefits which will grow to about $527,000 of coverage at age 80. “To best educate consumers, the Price Index reports average rates individuals can obtain from leading insurers,” Slome explains. “However, for this same level of protection, a 65-year old couple could pay as much as $7,200 a year.”
The complete Price Index will be published in the Association’s 2011 Long-Term Care Insurance. For more information, visit the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance’s website by clicking here.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Parent Longevity Matters Less
How long your parents lived does not affect how long you will live.
According to researchers, what matters it is how you live your life. That determines how old you will get.
According to research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, shows that hereditary factors don’t play a major role and that lifestyle has the biggest impact.”
The study group consisted of men born in 1913 that have participated in health and longevity studies in Gothenburg for many years.
Those in the 1913 Men Study who did not smoke, consumed moderate amounts of coffee and had a good socio-economic status at the age of 50 (measured in terms of housing costs), as well as good physical working capacity at the age of 54 and low cholesterol at 50 had the greatest chance of celebrating their 90th birthday.
Many of these factors have previously been identified as playing a role in cardiovascular disease, but the study shows for the first time that they are important for survival in general.
This has enabled researchers to follow the development of illnesses in a specific age group, and to compare the health of 50-year-olds in 2003 with that of 50-year-olds in 1963, for example.
Women have also been included in the study since 2003. Several variables have been studied over the years, including BMI, smoking habits, cholesterol, exercise habits and blood pressure.
The men born in 1913 were examined when they were 50, 54, 60, 67, 75 and 80. Of the 855 men who took part in the study from the start, 111 (13%) were still alive at the age of 90.
Over the years the material has generated many research articles and doctoral theses. An interesting result came in 2008 when researchers were able to show that the drop in the number of smokers, combined with lower cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure, between 1963 and 2003 could offer an explanation for the marked downturn in the number of heart attacks during this 40-year period.
According to researchers, what matters it is how you live your life. That determines how old you will get.
According to research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, shows that hereditary factors don’t play a major role and that lifestyle has the biggest impact.”
The study group consisted of men born in 1913 that have participated in health and longevity studies in Gothenburg for many years.
Those in the 1913 Men Study who did not smoke, consumed moderate amounts of coffee and had a good socio-economic status at the age of 50 (measured in terms of housing costs), as well as good physical working capacity at the age of 54 and low cholesterol at 50 had the greatest chance of celebrating their 90th birthday.
Many of these factors have previously been identified as playing a role in cardiovascular disease, but the study shows for the first time that they are important for survival in general.
This has enabled researchers to follow the development of illnesses in a specific age group, and to compare the health of 50-year-olds in 2003 with that of 50-year-olds in 1963, for example.
Women have also been included in the study since 2003. Several variables have been studied over the years, including BMI, smoking habits, cholesterol, exercise habits and blood pressure.
The men born in 1913 were examined when they were 50, 54, 60, 67, 75 and 80. Of the 855 men who took part in the study from the start, 111 (13%) were still alive at the age of 90.
Over the years the material has generated many research articles and doctoral theses. An interesting result came in 2008 when researchers were able to show that the drop in the number of smokers, combined with lower cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure, between 1963 and 2003 could offer an explanation for the marked downturn in the number of heart attacks during this 40-year period.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Americans With Diabetes Now Nearly 26MM
Nearly 26 million Americans have diabetes, according to new estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Half of Americans aged 65 and older have prediabetes, and nearly 27 percent have diabetes. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. Diabetes costs $174 billion annually, including $116 billion in direct medical expenses.
In addition, an estimated 79 million U.S. adults have prediabetes, a condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Prediabetes raises a person’s risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance .
Diabetes affects 8.3 percent of Americans of all ages, and 11.3 percent of adults aged 20 and older, according to the National Diabetes Fact Sheet for 2011. About 27 percent of those with diabetes—7 million Americans—do not know they have the disease.
Prediabetes affects 35 percent of adults aged 20 and older. In 2008, CDC estimated that 23.6 million Americans, or 7.8 percent of the population, had diabetes and another 57 million adults had prediabetes. The 2011 estimates have increased for several reasons:
More people are developing diabetes. Many people are living longer with diabetes, which raises the total number of those with the disease. Better management of the disease is improving cardiovascular disease risk factors and reducing complications such as kidney failure and amputations.
Hemoglobin A1c is now used as a diagnostic test, and was therefore incorporated into calculations of national prevalence for the first time. The test, also called glycated hemoglobin, measures levels of blood glucose (sugar) over a period of two to three months. Because of this change, estimates of populations with diabetes and prediabetes in the 2011 fact sheet are not directly comparable to estimates in previous fact sheets.
In a study published last year, CDC projected that as many as 1 in 3 U.S. adults could have diabetes by 2050 if current trends continue. Type 2 diabetes, in which the body gradually loses its ability to use and produce insulin, accounts for 90 percent to 95 percent of diabetes cases. Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include older age, obesity, family history, having diabetes while pregnant (gestational diabetes), a sedentary lifestyle, and race/ethnicity. Groups at higher risk for the disease are African-Americans, Hispanics, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and some Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Half of Americans aged 65 and older have prediabetes, and nearly 27 percent have diabetes. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. Diabetes costs $174 billion annually, including $116 billion in direct medical expenses.
Half of Americans aged 65 and older have prediabetes, and nearly 27 percent have diabetes. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. Diabetes costs $174 billion annually, including $116 billion in direct medical expenses.
In addition, an estimated 79 million U.S. adults have prediabetes, a condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Prediabetes raises a person’s risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance .
Diabetes affects 8.3 percent of Americans of all ages, and 11.3 percent of adults aged 20 and older, according to the National Diabetes Fact Sheet for 2011. About 27 percent of those with diabetes—7 million Americans—do not know they have the disease.
Prediabetes affects 35 percent of adults aged 20 and older. In 2008, CDC estimated that 23.6 million Americans, or 7.8 percent of the population, had diabetes and another 57 million adults had prediabetes. The 2011 estimates have increased for several reasons:
More people are developing diabetes. Many people are living longer with diabetes, which raises the total number of those with the disease. Better management of the disease is improving cardiovascular disease risk factors and reducing complications such as kidney failure and amputations.
Hemoglobin A1c is now used as a diagnostic test, and was therefore incorporated into calculations of national prevalence for the first time. The test, also called glycated hemoglobin, measures levels of blood glucose (sugar) over a period of two to three months. Because of this change, estimates of populations with diabetes and prediabetes in the 2011 fact sheet are not directly comparable to estimates in previous fact sheets.
In a study published last year, CDC projected that as many as 1 in 3 U.S. adults could have diabetes by 2050 if current trends continue. Type 2 diabetes, in which the body gradually loses its ability to use and produce insulin, accounts for 90 percent to 95 percent of diabetes cases. Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include older age, obesity, family history, having diabetes while pregnant (gestational diabetes), a sedentary lifestyle, and race/ethnicity. Groups at higher risk for the disease are African-Americans, Hispanics, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and some Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Half of Americans aged 65 and older have prediabetes, and nearly 27 percent have diabetes. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. Diabetes costs $174 billion annually, including $116 billion in direct medical expenses.
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