Quality of Life Is the Key Issue ; Progress in Medical Care has Traditionally Concentrated, Perhaps Unsurprisingly, On Longevity. We Measure Our Success As a Sophisticated Health-Aware Society by How Long We Live. And with Average Lifespans Increasing Almost Year by Year, We Are Doing Pretty Well.

Summary

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Progress in medical care has traditionally concentrated, perhaps unsurprisingly, on longevity. We measure our success as a sophisticated health-aware society by how long we live. And with average lifespans increasing almost year by year, we are doing pretty well.

But research today from the Peninsula Medical School may go some way to shift that emphasis. It shows that obesity - an acknowledged problem for western societies - has little impact on longevity, but is a major contributor to increased disability in later life. In other words, getting fat might not kill you, but it will seriously compromise your quality of life.

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Quality of Life Is the Key Issue ; Progress in Medical Care has Traditionally Concentrated, Perhaps Unsurprisingly, On Longevity. We Measure Our Success As a Sophisticated Health-Aware Society by How Long We Live. And with Average Lifespans Increasing Almost Year by Year, We Are Doing Pretty Well.

And it is that quality of life which deserves more attention from the health professionals and the lifestyle advisers as we move through the 21st century. Of course, we all w...

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