Obesity and eating habits remain top concerns
A worldwide panel of health experts says Americans are getting sicker and dying younger than those living in Canada, Australia, England and elsewhere.
As of 2011, members with the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine say 27 countries had higher life expectancies at birth than the United States.
KTRH medical expert Dr. Joe Galati isn't sold on the entire report, but admits our eating habits don't help. "Where we're killing ourselves is with obesity, the overuse of processed foods and restaurants," Galati tells KTRH News.
"We have to get our arms around the obesity epidemic and that is a systemic problem that will take generations to figure out," he says. "But looking at the report, it’s very difficult to make a quick judgment on it."
Galati points out some so-called "healthier" nations have their own problems.
"Japan, they have the highest suicide rate in the world, so how do you interpret that?" he asks.
While the U.S. has higher cancer survival rates, lower blood pressure and fewer smokers, we also suffer from infant mortality, homicides, teen pregnancy and drug-related deaths.
