Mark W. Cannon
Danielle Stockton
[2-10-10]
The UCLA Press Release on their latest study of Mormon longevity summarized: “If you want to live a long healthy life, you may want to take a tip from the Mormons…. A group of actively practicing Mormons in California, followed for a 25-year period, had the lowest total death rates and the longest life expectancies ever documented in a well-defined U.S. cohort. The authors believe the findings suggest a model for substantial disease prevention in the general population.”
One of the fruits of Mormonism is that the males that were highly committed to the Mormon lifestyle had a life expectancy of 84.1 years which was 9.8 years greater than that of U.S. white males. Highly committed females had a life expectancy of 86.1 years which was 5.6 years longer than U.S. white females.
These are results from the latest study on Mormon longevity by non-Mormon UCLA Public Health professors James E. Enstrom and Lester Breslow. Breslow is a former Dean of the top tier School of Public Health at UCLA. The Mormon information was drawn from questionnaire responses of 9,815 High Priests and wives.
Enstrom explained in a telephone interview that there was less difference in the comparison of women than of men since women generally live substantially longer than men because of fewer risk factors in their occupations and lives.
A staggeringly significant dimension emerged from this study. The more strictly and constantly Mormons follow Mormon lifestyle elements, the longer they live.
Religiously active LDS men, i.e. High Priests, had a mortality rate over the 25-year period that was only 60 percent of that found in comparably aged white American males. Active Mormon women had a mortality rate that was only 73 percent of the rate for white American women of similar ages.
However, Mormon men who never smoked, attend Church at least weekly, obtained at least 12 years of education, and were married had a mortality rate that was only 50 percent as high as their national counterparts. Mormon women who do the same things had a rate that was only 66 percent of the rate found in the general population of their counterparts.
If you add moderate body mass index, which should apply to most Mormons who long adhere closely to the word of wisdom, the mortality rate for active Mormon men drops to 48 percent of that observed in the general population of men and to 62 percent for Mormon women who follow the Mormon lifestyle compared to women of the same age in the general population.
If you consider regular physical activity and 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night the mortality rate drops to 44% of the national average for men, and for women it is just 57% of the rate observed in their national counterparts. The LDS emphasis on physical activity is exemplified by having gymnasiums with chapels.
The results of their study were published in Preventive Medicine (February 2008). The authors explain: “Active California Mormons practice a healthy lifestyle advocated by their religion, which emphasizes a strong family life, education and abstention from tobacco and alcohol.” In other writings Enstrom has referred to the Mormon belief that the body is the Temple of the spirit. In our interview, Professor Enstrom, stated that he had not seen anything since the study was completed that contradicted its conclusions.
The low LDS mortality findings are in harmony with earlier studies of low Mormon rates of cancer. In one instance the benefits of high Mormon adherence to Church doctrines by men was dramatically shown. John Gardner and Joseph Lyon found that the most devout group, (Seventies and High Priests) had lung cancer rates 80% lower than those in the least devout group. Cancer of the stomach and the leukemias and lymphomas also had lower rated in the most devout group. The most devout Mormon women also had a substantially lower lung cancer rate than the least devout. (American Journal of Epidemiology, Aug. 1982)
Mark W. Cannon was Administrative Assistant to Chief Justice Warren E. Burger and Staff Director to the Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution. He has a Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University. Danielle Stockton was co-editor of the student newspaper and the literary magazine at Madeira School and currently is a student at BYU. This is a shortened version of an article in their blog, www.fruitsofmormonismcom.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Exceptional Mormon Health was Evident Over Many Decades
Mark W. Cannon
Danielle Stockton
[2-10-10]
Interest in Mormon health goes back to the Word of Wisdom revealed in 1833 ”for the temporal salvation of all saints”. Continuing focus on health was illustrated by George Q. Cannon being assigned by Brigham Young in the 1850’s to edit the Western Standard newspaper in California to proclaim the Gospel. Among the headlines were “Horrors of Opium Smoking,” “Colored Candy is Poisonous,” “How to Purify Water,” “Effects of Overwork,” “Necessity of Sleep,” and “Excessive Use of Salt.”
The long emphasis on treating the body as the Temple of the spirit led to advantages in good health. These were delineated by BYU President and eminent scientist Franklin S. Harris and Newbern Butts in The Fruits of Mormonism in 1925. They found low Mormon rates in diseases relevant to the Word of Wisdom such as cancer, tuberculosis, pneumonia and kidney diseases -- as well as suicide and homicide.
In 1938, John A. Widtsoe, an Apostle, a noted chemist and former President of University of Utah, wrote a book on the Word of Wisdom. An expert on sugar, he implored people to curb eating refined sugar and emphasize fresh vegetables. He also attributed to the Word of Wisdom low Mormon death rates from many diseases including an extraordinary 50 percent reduced rate for diabetes.
In 1973 a young non-Mormon physicist, James Enstrom, became fascinated with a startling discovery in a California Health Department study of Alameda County. Out of 6,928 adults, there were 111 church-going Mormons who neither smoked nor drank. Their death rate from major diseases was 45 percent lower than that of the general population. Enstrom promptly switched from physicist to epidemiologist, and obtained grants to study Mormon health. He found Utah had by far the lowest cancer rate in the nation. In Southern California, Mormon women had 21 percent, and men had one third, fewer cancer deaths than non-Mormons. His massive report, published in the authoritative Journal Cancer in September, 1975 attracted world-wide attention.
Enstrom launched into a similar study of deaths from heart and cardiovascular disease and reported to an American Heart Association conference in March, 1975 that Mormon deaths from heart and cardio problems were from one third to one half less than average.
Then came an independent study by established epidemiologist, Dr. Joseph Lyon. who studied living cancer victims as they were admitted to hospitals and diagnosed. The results were similar to Enstrom’s: Mormons in Utah were contracting cancer 25 percent less frequently than non-Mormons.
Soon, Enstrom, Lyon and others examined and confirmed Elder Widtsoe’s 1938 statistics that Mormon diabetes was 50% less and bladder and kidney disease 51 percent less than average.
The nation was concerned about the loss of life and costs of dreaded diseases and the good news from reliable studies about Mormon lifestyle was welcome. Illustrative was The Washington Post with a front page headline “Study Shows Low Mormon Cancer Rate” on 11/18/74.
FAMILY CIRCLE featured a 3-page story entitled “WHAT CAN WE LEARN ABOUT HEALTH FROM THE MORMONS?” with a subhead “Scientific studies are finding some of the answers—and may have a message for us all.” The article in January, 1976 was by medical journalist and book writer Bill Davidson, who detailed some of the history, such as the rediscovery of John A. Widtsoe, summarized above.
More Enstrom studies brought more front page headlines such as USA TODAY “NO. 1 IN THE USA…6.3 MILLION READERS EVERY DAY” declaring “Mormon lifestyle is healthiest” on 12/6/89. The lead stated: “The lowest death rates ever reported from heart disease and cancer have been found in a group of 10,000 Mormons, a new study suggests.”
The same day the Los Angeles Times also carried a front page story: “Life Style of Mormons Cuts Risk of Death”. They also carried a story by their “RELIGION WRITER JOHN DART” entitled “Mormons ‘Excited’ by Health Study”.
Also the same day THE WALL STREET JOURNAL reported “Mormon Rules Aid Long Life, Study Discloses”.
In 1997 a new study produced a new cycle of stories such as the Los Angeles Times headline “Mormons Among Nation’s Healthiest, Researchers Say” on 4/26/97.
LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley wrote Dr. Enstrom: “You have accomplished a tremendous thing in your study of the effects of the Word of Wisdom.”
The extraordinary publicity given to amazing discoveries about Mormon health and longevity – particularly to those who actually live the Mormon lifestyle – stimulates a thought. There are many additional benefits that come to those who conscientiously live a lifestyle derived from adherence to divine commandments. These fruits of Mormonism include: living wise prudential lives; preparedness for unexpected emergencies; stress reduction; peace of mind even in difficult circumstances; raising children who stand above the hapless crowd and become leaders; happiness; high education balanced with spirituality; socially beneficial innovations; lives with satisfying accomplishments; love of others and the joy that comes from service to others; and growth of such much-needed character traits as honesty, courage, and industry.
These benefits are much-desired and sought after by many people. It is no wonder that General Authorities have been asking Church members to explain Mormonism and clear up off-putting misconceptions about the Church, its doctrines and its fruits.
The clear evidence that Mormonism produced healthier and longer life contributed to a change in social scientists view of religion which had generally ranged from indifference to psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud’s scorning of religion as “mankind’s universal obsessive neurosis” – even though empirical data had not supported that view.
By 1985, Enstrom had published six scientific studies on Mormon health and longevity. At that point there were only a handful of scientists interested in taking religion seriously as a causal factor in health. However, following his discoveries, such studies mushroomed and showed that other religions also had a positive influence on health.
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬ Mark W. Cannon was Administrative Assistant to Chief Justice Warren E. Burger and Staff Director to the Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution. He has a Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University. Danielle Stockton was co-editor of the student newspaper and the literary magazine at Madeira School and currently is a student at BYU. This article is posted to their blog, www.fruitsofmormonism.com.
Danielle Stockton
[2-10-10]
Interest in Mormon health goes back to the Word of Wisdom revealed in 1833 ”for the temporal salvation of all saints”. Continuing focus on health was illustrated by George Q. Cannon being assigned by Brigham Young in the 1850’s to edit the Western Standard newspaper in California to proclaim the Gospel. Among the headlines were “Horrors of Opium Smoking,” “Colored Candy is Poisonous,” “How to Purify Water,” “Effects of Overwork,” “Necessity of Sleep,” and “Excessive Use of Salt.”
The long emphasis on treating the body as the Temple of the spirit led to advantages in good health. These were delineated by BYU President and eminent scientist Franklin S. Harris and Newbern Butts in The Fruits of Mormonism in 1925. They found low Mormon rates in diseases relevant to the Word of Wisdom such as cancer, tuberculosis, pneumonia and kidney diseases -- as well as suicide and homicide.
In 1938, John A. Widtsoe, an Apostle, a noted chemist and former President of University of Utah, wrote a book on the Word of Wisdom. An expert on sugar, he implored people to curb eating refined sugar and emphasize fresh vegetables. He also attributed to the Word of Wisdom low Mormon death rates from many diseases including an extraordinary 50 percent reduced rate for diabetes.
In 1973 a young non-Mormon physicist, James Enstrom, became fascinated with a startling discovery in a California Health Department study of Alameda County. Out of 6,928 adults, there were 111 church-going Mormons who neither smoked nor drank. Their death rate from major diseases was 45 percent lower than that of the general population. Enstrom promptly switched from physicist to epidemiologist, and obtained grants to study Mormon health. He found Utah had by far the lowest cancer rate in the nation. In Southern California, Mormon women had 21 percent, and men had one third, fewer cancer deaths than non-Mormons. His massive report, published in the authoritative Journal Cancer in September, 1975 attracted world-wide attention.
Enstrom launched into a similar study of deaths from heart and cardiovascular disease and reported to an American Heart Association conference in March, 1975 that Mormon deaths from heart and cardio problems were from one third to one half less than average.
Then came an independent study by established epidemiologist, Dr. Joseph Lyon. who studied living cancer victims as they were admitted to hospitals and diagnosed. The results were similar to Enstrom’s: Mormons in Utah were contracting cancer 25 percent less frequently than non-Mormons.
Soon, Enstrom, Lyon and others examined and confirmed Elder Widtsoe’s 1938 statistics that Mormon diabetes was 50% less and bladder and kidney disease 51 percent less than average.
The nation was concerned about the loss of life and costs of dreaded diseases and the good news from reliable studies about Mormon lifestyle was welcome. Illustrative was The Washington Post with a front page headline “Study Shows Low Mormon Cancer Rate” on 11/18/74.
FAMILY CIRCLE featured a 3-page story entitled “WHAT CAN WE LEARN ABOUT HEALTH FROM THE MORMONS?” with a subhead “Scientific studies are finding some of the answers—and may have a message for us all.” The article in January, 1976 was by medical journalist and book writer Bill Davidson, who detailed some of the history, such as the rediscovery of John A. Widtsoe, summarized above.
More Enstrom studies brought more front page headlines such as USA TODAY “NO. 1 IN THE USA…6.3 MILLION READERS EVERY DAY” declaring “Mormon lifestyle is healthiest” on 12/6/89. The lead stated: “The lowest death rates ever reported from heart disease and cancer have been found in a group of 10,000 Mormons, a new study suggests.”
The same day the Los Angeles Times also carried a front page story: “Life Style of Mormons Cuts Risk of Death”. They also carried a story by their “RELIGION WRITER JOHN DART” entitled “Mormons ‘Excited’ by Health Study”.
Also the same day THE WALL STREET JOURNAL reported “Mormon Rules Aid Long Life, Study Discloses”.
In 1997 a new study produced a new cycle of stories such as the Los Angeles Times headline “Mormons Among Nation’s Healthiest, Researchers Say” on 4/26/97.
LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley wrote Dr. Enstrom: “You have accomplished a tremendous thing in your study of the effects of the Word of Wisdom.”
The extraordinary publicity given to amazing discoveries about Mormon health and longevity – particularly to those who actually live the Mormon lifestyle – stimulates a thought. There are many additional benefits that come to those who conscientiously live a lifestyle derived from adherence to divine commandments. These fruits of Mormonism include: living wise prudential lives; preparedness for unexpected emergencies; stress reduction; peace of mind even in difficult circumstances; raising children who stand above the hapless crowd and become leaders; happiness; high education balanced with spirituality; socially beneficial innovations; lives with satisfying accomplishments; love of others and the joy that comes from service to others; and growth of such much-needed character traits as honesty, courage, and industry.
These benefits are much-desired and sought after by many people. It is no wonder that General Authorities have been asking Church members to explain Mormonism and clear up off-putting misconceptions about the Church, its doctrines and its fruits.
The clear evidence that Mormonism produced healthier and longer life contributed to a change in social scientists view of religion which had generally ranged from indifference to psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud’s scorning of religion as “mankind’s universal obsessive neurosis” – even though empirical data had not supported that view.
By 1985, Enstrom had published six scientific studies on Mormon health and longevity. At that point there were only a handful of scientists interested in taking religion seriously as a causal factor in health. However, following his discoveries, such studies mushroomed and showed that other religions also had a positive influence on health.
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬ Mark W. Cannon was Administrative Assistant to Chief Justice Warren E. Burger and Staff Director to the Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution. He has a Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University. Danielle Stockton was co-editor of the student newspaper and the literary magazine at Madeira School and currently is a student at BYU. This article is posted to their blog, www.fruitsofmormonism.com.
Mormon-Type Fasting Cuts Risk of Coronary Disease by 40%
Mark W. Cannon
Danielle Stockton
[2-10-10]
A path-breaking study of fasting by the Intermountain Medical Center produced an astonishing finding that Mormon-type fasting causes a 40 percent reduction of risk for dreaded Coronary Artery Disease.
The potential prevention of pain, death and cost are enormous. Heart attacks, 99+% of which are based on coronary artery disease, are the leading cause of death in the United States and other industrialized nations -- with a total estimated U.S. cost of $165.4 billion in 2009 according to the American Heart Association.
Through statistical regression analysis, fasting was separated from other health-influencing factors such as physical activity, smoking, socio-economic status and frequent church attendance which were controlled to obtain the amazing conclusion that what could be described as Mormon-type fasting, all by itself, cut coronary artery disease almost in half.
These surprising results were presented to the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions in Nov. 2007 by lead researcher Benjamin Horne, PhD, MPH, who directs Cardiovascular and Genetic Epidemiology at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City. This caused excitement and was one of a few presentations that produced a press release by AHA. In 2008, the American Journal of Cardiology published the full results in an article by 14 researchers (both non-Mormon and Mormon) who had worked on the study and wanted to be identified with this breakthrough.
Dr. Horne believes a 24-hour fast “may allow the body to rest and reset metabolism, increasing the body’s sensitivity to glucose and insulin.” He cautions that the ”compelling findings” on fasting do not apply to random skipping of meals. In our interview, Dr. Horne indicated that he was doing follow-up studies on fasting, including its relationship to genes that affect health.
In this major study, patients were asked: “Do you routinely abstain from food and drink (i.e., fast) for extended periods of time?" Dr. Horne observed that “the vast majority of patients who reported fasting routinely were of the LDS faith and, thus, their definition of fasting of 24 hours would be primarily what is represented in the results of the study.”
This discovery illustrates that faithful obedience to a divine commandment may produce one of the remarkable fruits of Mormonism, in this case protection against a deadly disease. However, it may take over a Century and a half for a scientific discovery of that causal relationship.
Earlier studies by the University of Utah had found that the rate of death from coronary artery disease in Utah was lower, age-adjusted, among Mormons than the rest of the population. This was thought to be primarily from many Mormons being non-smokers. Dr. Horne’s team showed that smoking was not the sole source of decreased coronary heart disease among LDS. So they analyzed all differentiating LDS behaviors and in 2002 concluded that fasting was the most likely to have an effect on metabolic health. So they tested this hypothesis.
They knew of no earlier similar studies. Previous fasting studies had evaluated its relationship to body mass, hypertension, etc. Even the researchers were impressed by the magnitude of the effect of fasting.
No others than Dr. Horne’s team are known to have pursued this remarkable finding with additional research. Dr. Horne explains that strikingly new scientific discoveries often take considerable time to be widely understood and put to use.
This team is now studying how fasting works to affect metabolic health. They are running a clinical trial of 40 persons doing 28-hour water-only fasts to evaluate gene and other more standard markers of cardiovascular and metabolic risk. Also some animal studies, done during or since their basic study, found that periodic fasting called by scientists “short term starvation” prolonged the lives of mice, roundworms and yeast. So the team is studying 4,000 patients to see if gene mutations in them are similar to the changes that were caused by fasting of the life forms that were tested. Such studies could lead to finding other methods in addition to fasting of preventing deadly cardiovascular disease.
Preliminary results are expected to be made public from these new studies by the end of 2010.
Mark W. Cannon was AdministrativeAassistant to Chief Justice Warren E. Burger and Staff Director to the Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution. He has a Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University. Danielle Stockton was co-editor of the student newspaper and the literary magazine at Madeira School and currently is a student at BYU. This article is posted to their blog, www.fruitsofmormonism.com.
Danielle Stockton
[2-10-10]
A path-breaking study of fasting by the Intermountain Medical Center produced an astonishing finding that Mormon-type fasting causes a 40 percent reduction of risk for dreaded Coronary Artery Disease.
The potential prevention of pain, death and cost are enormous. Heart attacks, 99+% of which are based on coronary artery disease, are the leading cause of death in the United States and other industrialized nations -- with a total estimated U.S. cost of $165.4 billion in 2009 according to the American Heart Association.
Through statistical regression analysis, fasting was separated from other health-influencing factors such as physical activity, smoking, socio-economic status and frequent church attendance which were controlled to obtain the amazing conclusion that what could be described as Mormon-type fasting, all by itself, cut coronary artery disease almost in half.
These surprising results were presented to the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions in Nov. 2007 by lead researcher Benjamin Horne, PhD, MPH, who directs Cardiovascular and Genetic Epidemiology at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City. This caused excitement and was one of a few presentations that produced a press release by AHA. In 2008, the American Journal of Cardiology published the full results in an article by 14 researchers (both non-Mormon and Mormon) who had worked on the study and wanted to be identified with this breakthrough.
Dr. Horne believes a 24-hour fast “may allow the body to rest and reset metabolism, increasing the body’s sensitivity to glucose and insulin.” He cautions that the ”compelling findings” on fasting do not apply to random skipping of meals. In our interview, Dr. Horne indicated that he was doing follow-up studies on fasting, including its relationship to genes that affect health.
In this major study, patients were asked: “Do you routinely abstain from food and drink (i.e., fast) for extended periods of time?" Dr. Horne observed that “the vast majority of patients who reported fasting routinely were of the LDS faith and, thus, their definition of fasting of 24 hours would be primarily what is represented in the results of the study.”
This discovery illustrates that faithful obedience to a divine commandment may produce one of the remarkable fruits of Mormonism, in this case protection against a deadly disease. However, it may take over a Century and a half for a scientific discovery of that causal relationship.
Earlier studies by the University of Utah had found that the rate of death from coronary artery disease in Utah was lower, age-adjusted, among Mormons than the rest of the population. This was thought to be primarily from many Mormons being non-smokers. Dr. Horne’s team showed that smoking was not the sole source of decreased coronary heart disease among LDS. So they analyzed all differentiating LDS behaviors and in 2002 concluded that fasting was the most likely to have an effect on metabolic health. So they tested this hypothesis.
They knew of no earlier similar studies. Previous fasting studies had evaluated its relationship to body mass, hypertension, etc. Even the researchers were impressed by the magnitude of the effect of fasting.
No others than Dr. Horne’s team are known to have pursued this remarkable finding with additional research. Dr. Horne explains that strikingly new scientific discoveries often take considerable time to be widely understood and put to use.
This team is now studying how fasting works to affect metabolic health. They are running a clinical trial of 40 persons doing 28-hour water-only fasts to evaluate gene and other more standard markers of cardiovascular and metabolic risk. Also some animal studies, done during or since their basic study, found that periodic fasting called by scientists “short term starvation” prolonged the lives of mice, roundworms and yeast. So the team is studying 4,000 patients to see if gene mutations in them are similar to the changes that were caused by fasting of the life forms that were tested. Such studies could lead to finding other methods in addition to fasting of preventing deadly cardiovascular disease.
Preliminary results are expected to be made public from these new studies by the end of 2010.
Mark W. Cannon was AdministrativeAassistant to Chief Justice Warren E. Burger and Staff Director to the Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution. He has a Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University. Danielle Stockton was co-editor of the student newspaper and the literary magazine at Madeira School and currently is a student at BYU. This article is posted to their blog, www.fruitsofmormonism.com.
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