Information Related to "Prepare for a Long, Healthy Life"
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It
would be hilarious if it weren't so outrageous. Some scientists are proposing
that we reengineer our bodies in order to prevent accidents, avoid disease
and promote longevity. Ideas recently conceived by "experts" and published
in a popular news weekly include extra ribs to prevent hernias, backward-bending
knees to reduce joint friction, swiveling oversize ears to enhance hearing
in old age, and squid-like eyes (less prone to vision loss).
These were only some of the ideas. The result? A really odd-looking, contorted body! One expert claimed the human body wasn't designed for longevity. Were we designed to become obese and plagued with disease as we grow older?
Perhaps you're thinking, "How in the world does this subject apply to me? I'm young. Old age doesn't concern me. Disease won't affect me." When I was a teenager, I thought the same way. Actually, I gave those subjects no thought at all! But stop and think. Every old person, every disabled and diseased adult, was once a teenager--just like you. Unfortunately, more and more teens are experiencing shortened life spans and disabling diseases.
One author puts it this way: "Most people think heart disease is an adult disease, the result of many years of an improper diet. However, in a recent study reported in The American Heart Association Journal, dangerous advanced arterial plaque was found in teens and young adults who had died in accidents, by suicide, or had been murdered.... Obesity is becoming a major health deterrent of children, teens, and young adults" (Tipworld, www.topica.com/tipworld, by Elizabeth Thornberry).
Oops! Health does have something to do with teenagers. Let's Live magazine stated the following in its "weightwatch" section: "A diet high in sweets and fats coupled with sedentary activities, like channel surfing and cruising the Internet, could be a disaster in the making for many of today's children. A study by researchers at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, found that obese children are 53 more times likely to have insulin resistance, a syndrome that often precedes development of adult-onset (type II) diabetes. This disease can cause blindness and amputation" (February 2001, p. 28). To emphasize the point, the section was titled "Obese Kids and Diabetes."
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