Don’t take this the wrong way. I definitely enjoy a big, juicy double cheeseburger every now and then. I’ve been known to sneak one of those dollar specials into my system too. But in all honesty, I’ll have a large slider maybe just once a month.
Fries too.
Newswise Medical News | Saturated Fat Linked to Cancer of the Small Intestine
Most people who know me know I’m fairly diligent about exercise and diet. They also know I enjoy my glass of anti-platelet aggregation liquid in the evening. But most who know me, don’t know I used to weigh 350 pounds. I lost my weight back in the 70’s (that’s 19 not 18 70’s). So it pains me to read an article like this. The sample size may be small, but the results do not surprise me nor are they encouraging regarding the current health of our kids and the future health status of these guys when they grow up.
Check out this scary stuff. The future of underwriting looks bright.
Child Obesity Seen as Warning of Heart Disease – NYTimes.com
Check out the non-white negative outcomes percentage.
Newswise Medical News | Age, Race Are Among Factors That Influence Carotid-Surgery Success
The connection between OSA and SCD is getting stronger according to a recent study by the Mayo Clinic. This information has profound implications for how life underwriters approach this combination of impairments. When I started in the profession last century, not much thought (or rating) was given to OSA. Times have changed and we now know more about the risk.
Will we use this new data or once again succumb to market forces?
My inner protective sense of cynicism has worked well in the underwriting of mortality risk. Let’s hope the results of this small study are spurious. Otherwise, we’ll all have just one more thing to worry about on that case we accepted where the PSA levels miraculously normalized.
www.mayoclinic.com has posted an overview of coronary calcium scans on their website. You can access the article through the link above.
I am admittedly less antagonistic about more widespread use of statins in adults due to the the results of the Jupiter Study than about feeding statins to kids. Check out this NT Times article. And in case the link doesn’t work, here is the full permalink address.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/10/health/10heart.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
I’ll continue following the medical community reaction to this study.
According to the CDC, the incidence of diabetes increased 90% during the 10-year period ending in 2007. So is any company working in the brokerage market surprised to hear that some competitors are now offering Preferred rates to applicants who have IGT?
“He doesn’t have diabetes. He has IGT, not diabetes.”
This is one slippery slope. I strongly caution underwriters to be extremely selective when offering the best mortality rate for future diabetics. Take a hard look at the applicant’s health behaviors trend. Whether or not an individual goes on to develop full-blown diabetes from an impaired glucose tolerance state is strongly dependent upon current and future behaviors.
Last century when I was President of the Texas HOLUA I had the opportunity to ask one of the leading diabetes specialists some questions about my personal situation. Dr. Norman Kaplan at Southwestern Medical Center, University of Texas, Dallas addressed the group and I talked family history with him. I mentioned my strong family history for diabetes and asked Dr. Kaplan how I could avoid diabetes in the future. His reply was simple and eloquent:
“Stay as thin as you possibly can.”
Good advice for a lot of what ails you.
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