# Are observant Mormons healthier than average? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 2, 2006, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-observant-mormons-healthier-than-average/338056 "2006-01-02T06:00:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-observant-mormons-healthier-than-average/338056/21 "2006-01-03T20:16:27Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > 1. On the Gripping Hand, he stayed extremely tall and thin despite this diet fregimen. Maybe God really _does_ favor the LDS with good metabolism. Maybe it’s the underwear… ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-observant-mormons-healthier-than-average/338056/22 "2006-01-03T21:11:41Z")
I’m LDS, and AFAIK Mormons do tend to live a bit longer. OTOH, we also tend to like sugar too much! Ice cream, fattening casseroles, we’re very good at that kind of thing. I like chocolate a lot, but I have seen some Mormons eat desserts that make even _my_ teeth hurt. More American Mormons have probably grown up on whole wheat bread and fresh vegetables than the average American, because of the LDS Church’s advice about storing wheat and having a garden. My mom used to grind wheat to bake bread when I was a kid, for example, and always had a huge garden. That wasn’t at all unusual for Mormon kids, who can often tell you about feeling weird at school with their sandwiches made of uneven slices of brown bread instead of everyone else’s Wonderbread sandwiches. (My mom may have been more hard-core than many, since she’s kind of a hippie anyway, but she’s also a convert, unlike most wheat-grinders, so I guess it evens out…) Wheat-grinding isn’t as common with my generation, we don’t think we have time or something. I tend to turn my wheat into sprouts and buy w-w flour. As Americans in general have started getting interested in cutting out sugar and sodas (that is, we’re seeing more talk and news about it, even as soda consumption is at an all-time high), American Mormons are doing this too. I know lots of people who have gotten interested in cutting soda or white sugar out of their diets, and you’ll see articles about that in LDS publications. So we’re becoming more conscious of that problem. Others of us like sugar too much to give it up. IME, my local Mormon population isn’t any fatter than the rest of the people here in town, and the teenagers are nearly all amazingly athletic, unlike when I was a teenager. The herbal tea question: “tea” is defined as “coming from the tea plant,” thus green or black tea. Herbal teas are really ‘infusions’ and don’t count as tea. Hot chocolate is OK too, as is regular chocolate candy. Not those Anthon Berg things, though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-observant-mormons-healthier-than-average/338056/23 "2006-01-03T22:18:12Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > The [annual Men’s Health survey](http://forums.simcentral.net/showthread.php?t=53264) has Salt Lake City neither in the 25 fittest nor 25 fattest cities, FWIW. I think one can safely discount as unscientic any ‘survey’ which has entire cities jump up or slide down 5 or more positions in one year (and back up again in some cases over 2 years). ---
**Author:** ![Reloy3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c68b51/32.png) [@Reloy3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reloy3)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-observant-mormons-healthier-than-average/338056/24 "2006-01-03T22:40:45Z")
I have a book at home that contains some studies relevent to this discussion. I’m at work, so I’ll try to look them up tonight, but in general - yes. Here are a few things gleaned from what look to be reputable sources on the net: From [MedicineNet.com](http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=57261) - [QUOTE] For its study, Welsh-Bohmer’s team collected data on 3,413 men and women, all 65 and older, who participated in the Cache County Memory Study, an ongoing population-based study of dementia and other health problems. Cache County, located in northern Utah, has the highest conditional life expectancy for men at age 65 in the country, and 91 percent of the population belongs to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The researchers found that 80 percent to 90 percent of participants aged 65 to 75 reported excellent or good health, as did about 60 percent of those over age 85. In addition, 90 percent of participants were healthy enough to live at home, including people 85 and older. Up to 50 percent of those surveyed had no major disease. The rest were living with at least one physical ailment. As people got older, the percentage of those with a chronic illness increased slightly. However, 40 percent of men and 42 percent of women 85 and older did not suffer from any major disease, Welsh-Bohmer’s group found. /QUOTE] [Mormon women seem to be less depressed than the average.](http://www.firstcoastnews.com/health/news-article.aspx?storyid=16832) On the other hand, [We don’t seem to have a lover rate of prostate cancer.](http://www.infoaging.org/d-prost-8-r-life.html) and [Seventh Day Adventists have us beat as to colon cancer.](http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/prevention/colorectal/HealthProfessional/page3/print) ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-observant-mormons-healthier-than-average/338056/25 "2006-01-04T00:38:01Z")
> [@Reloy3](#): > > [Mormon women seem to be less depressed than the average.](http://www.firstcoastnews.com/health/news-article.aspx?storyid=16832) [Could this be why?](http://www.drugawareness.org/Archives/3rdQtr_2003/record0017.html) > [@](#): > > In Utah, antidepressant use is higher than any other state, with 16 percent of the population taking them, according to Express Scripts, a company that puts together a yearly drug trend report. The second highest use is 14.4 percent, in Maine. ---
**Author:** ![Serket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Serket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serket)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-observant-mormons-healthier-than-average/338056/26 "2006-01-04T19:34:23Z")
I found a few links: [1970s study on cancer](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=709540&dopt=Abstract) > [@](#): > > The remaining life expectancy for active Mormon men at age 35 is about 44 years, over 7 years greater than for U.S. white males. [2001 article on diet](http://www.mormonstoday.com/010727/N1NewsBrief025.shtml) > [@](#): > > But some substances prohibited by LDS teachings get support from science. A study in this month’s Journal of the American Heart Association finds a link between black tea, which LDS teachings forbid, and healthy arteries in people with heart disease. And red wine also gets raves in the medical journals every few years. [government website on obesity in Utah](http://health.utah.gov/obesity/) > [@](#): > > More than HALF of all Utahns are overweight or obese. This last item surprises me because I live in Utah and it seems like most people are about normal weight. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-observant-mormons-healthier-than-average/338056/27 "2006-01-04T22:26:06Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > No cite, but I recall reading that they do, in fact, live longer. My question is: If giving up drinking makes you live longer, why would you want to? > [@](#): > > Methuselah lived nine hundred years > Methuselah lived nine hundred years > But why call that livin’ > When no gal will give in > To no man what’s nine hundred years? – Ira Gershwin & DuBose Heyward ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-observant-mormons-healthier-than-average/338056/28 "2006-01-04T22:58:17Z")
> [@Serket](#): > > [government website on obesity in Utah](http://health.utah.gov/obesity/) > > This last item surprises me because I live in Utah and it seems like most people are about normal weight. Maybe because you’ve become accustomed to seeing them? ---
**Author:** ![jhinman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/779978/32.png) [@jhinman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jhinman)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-observant-mormons-healthier-than-average/338056/29 "2006-01-05T01:58:09Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > So… how about Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate is fine. ---
**Author:** ![Reloy3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c68b51/32.png) [@Reloy3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reloy3)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-observant-mormons-healthier-than-average/338056/30 "2006-01-05T19:26:25Z")
As far as obesity in Utah goes, it certainly exists - and although Utah does not equal a member of the LDS church, I have seen obesity in the wards I’ve lived in and it is a problem. On the other hand, the cite **Serket** reported points to federal documents to convice people of the growing danger of obesity, and that federal document reports year 2000 adult obesity rates in Utah at between 15 and 19%, about the middle to lower end of the pack Most states were here, only Colorado was lower, and many states were higher than Utah. [Here’s the Surgeon General’s report - see page four. Watch out - PDF doc.](http://health.utah.gov/obesity/docs/SurgeonGeneralReport.pdf) I did find some more evidence. Unfortunately it is not online, but here goes - In 1979, Prof. James E. Enstrom of the School of Public Health at UCLA found that active members of the LDS church in California had significantly lower rates of mortality from cancer and cardiovascular disease than non-LDS contemporaries. The Standard Mortality Ratio per 1000 older men due to cardiovascular disease was 52, where among older LDS men it was 14. From all health related diseases, the average man’s SMR for all diseases was 47, for LDS men it was 22. Enstrom’s study was followed up by a study between 1980-1993 which showed similar results. He concluded that older LDS members in California live 8-11 years longer than their contemporaries. They also had a higher percentage of people who exercise moderately. Daniel K. Judd, a BYU professor published a review of 54 studies conducted between 1923 and 1995 concerning LDS member’s mental health. The studies showed lower rates of depression, delinquency anxiety, substance abuse and a higher average sense of general well being and more marital and family stability among active members of the LDS church compared to their contemporaries. (Other active participants of other faiths showed similar results compared to their non-practicing peers). Finally, Men’s Journal rated BYU as the nations fittest college campus based on participation in health promoting activites on campus. [The USA Today article is here.](http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-09-08-byu-fittest-college_x.htm) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-observant-mormons-healthier-than-average/338056.md?page=1)