Healthcare Cost Savings - Health Facts and Figures Part 1

Healthy lifestyles can go a long way toward solvingExerciseThe Obesity-Cancer LinkResearchers have
today's healthcare crisis. These facts and figures givefound 37 percent more cancer among obese women
some clues as to where we can make some changesand 25 percent more among obese men, compared
to prevent disease and cut healthcare costs.Oneto people of healthy weight. Death rates for all
Dollar Saves ThreeThe federal government doesn'tcancers are 62 percent higher among obese women
keep track of statistics on how wellness programsand 52 percent higher among obese men. Among
can impact healthcare costs but some businessesobese women, risks for specific cancers increase as
have found that promoting wellness reaps handsomefollows: breast 150 percent; uterine 200 to 400
rewards. According to the Wellness Councils ofpercent; kidney 200 to 400 percent; pancreatic 200
America, a non-profit group that promotes healthypercent; and colon 46 percent.
lifestyles, companies can save three dollars onSource: Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSourceWeight
healthcare expenses for every dollar they spend onGain ExplainedAmericans' per capita daily calorie
wellness programs that teach employees to leadconsumption increased by roughly 300 calories per
healthier lives.person between 1985 and 2000. Grains (mainly
Source: Wellness Councils of AmericaLifestyle Couldrefined grains) accounted for 46 percent of the
Reduce Diabetes by 87 PercentThe combination ofincrease, added fats for 24 percent, added sugars
losing weight, moving more, cutting out trans-fats,for 23 percent, and fruits and vegetables for 8
saturated fats and excessive alcohol, and eatingpercent, while meat and dairy consumption declined
more fiber could reduce the incidence of type 2by 1 percent.
diabetes by a staggering 87 percent. A modestSource: American Heart AssociationMultivitamins
5-percent weight loss can lower risk significantly. TheCould Cut Medicare CostsMedicare could save at least
incidence of type 2 diabetes increased by 60 percent1.6 billion dollars in the next five years by providing
in the United States between 1990 and 2001.multivitamins to people over the age of 65. Cost
Treatment for diabetes and its complicationssavings would result primarily from fewer admissions
consumes 10 percent of America's healthcare dollars.to hospitals and nursing homes as a result of heart
Sources: British Journal of Nutrition and Americandisease and infections such as pneumonia.
Diabetes AssociationThe Aerobic CureAerobicSource: Multivitamins and Public Health: Exploring the
exercise alone cured metabolic syndrome (sometimesEvidence ConferenceCalcium and Folic Acid Could
called syndrome X) in 30 percent of people in theSave 15 Billion DollarsA study commissioned by the
HERITAGE Family Study in Canada. The syndrome isDietary Supplement Education Alliance shows that the
a combination of elevated blood pressure, blooduse of daily calcium supplements could prevent
glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol and high waist734,000 hip fractures annually, saving 13.9 billion dollars
circumference that significantly raises the risks ofin healthcare costs. Daily use of folic acid supplements
diabetes and heart disease. People in the study rodecould prevent 600 cases of neural tube birth defects,
a stationary bike three times per week for twentysaving an additional 1.3 billion dollars. Foods fortified
weeks.with calcium or folic acid offer an alternative to
Source: Medicine and Science in Sports andsupplement pills.