[amc] religion and health
- From: "Bob" <rkoehn1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Austin mennonite Church" <amc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2006 21:11:06 -0500
Do This Once a Week. You'll Live Longer
If you want to live longer, start waking up earlier on Sunday morning and go to
church. Faithfully attending church once a week could add years to your life,
report LiveScience.com and the BBC News of a study from the University of
Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Led by Dr. Daniel Hall, who is both a medical resident and an Episcopal priest,
the team examined how three specific activities could enhance longevity:
a.. exercise
b.. taking anti-cholesterol drugs
c.. religious attendance
Using age-dependent death-rate statistics, all three were found to be
beneficial, although the first two were long ago proven as life-extenders. The
surprise finding was church attendance, which added two to three years of life
on average. Regular physical exercise added an extra three to five years to
life, while cholesterol-reducing drugs chalked up an additional 2-1/2 to 3-1/2
years.
Why does church increase longevity? Hall credits it not to faith, but to the
benefits of a strong social network. "There is something about being knit into
the type of community that religious communities embody that has a way of
mediating a positive health effect," he told LiveScience. In addition, he
suspects an active religious life reduces stress and helps people to cope when
there is stress. "Being in a religious community helps you make meaning out of
your life," he added.
But there is a cost in dollars and cents to all three methods of extending
longevity. Hall computed the cost of average gym fees for regular exercise,
medical costs for cholesterol-lowering medication and household donations to
religious institutions.
The approximate cost per life-year gained was:
a.. $2,000 to $6,000 for regular exercise
b.. $3,000 to $10,000 for regular religious attendance
c.. $4,000 and $14,000 for cholesterol-lowering drugs.
The study findings were published in the Journal of the American Board of
Family Medicine.
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