Cost Effectiveness of Living Healthy

The biggest frustration that I come across trying to lead someone towards a healthy life style, is the constant excuse that living healthy costs too much. Especially in today's American economy, the "Dollar Value Menu" is more appealing to the average American than going to the grocery store to buy fruits and vegetables. I will admit, my grocery bill is higher buying organic, healthy foods and spending my whole pay check at Whole Foods, however the shock I get out at the checkout, is no where near the actual shock I would get with my medical bills.

Overweight and obese individuals are at increased risk for health problems including:
High blood pressure (hypertension)
High blood cholesterol
Coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis or “hardening of the arteries”)
Angina pectoris (severe, often constricting, chest pain)
Congestive heart failure
Stroke
Insulin resistance/glucose intolerance
Hyperinsulinemia (high insulin levels in the blood which is a risk factor for diabetes and heart disease)
Type 2 (non-insulin dependent) diabetes
Gallstones and other gall bladder problems
Gout
Osteoarthritis
Obstructive sleep apnea and respiratory problems
Some types of cancer (such as endometrial, breast, prostate, and colon)
Complications of pregnancy
Poor female reproductive health (such as menstrual irregularities, infertility, irregular ovulation) Bladder control problems (such as urinary stress incontinence)
Uric acid kidney stones
Psychological disorders (such as depression, eating disorders, distorted body image, and low self esteem).

Crunching the numbers :

Treating High Blood Pressures:

Common medications and cost to treat high blood pressure:

Diuretics (water pills) help your body get rid of extra sodium -$9/ mo = $108/yr (for mild cases not typical treatment)

Beta-blockers make the heart beat slower so that blood passes through your blood vessels with less force-$10-$210 average about $60 = $720/yr

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (also called ACE inhibitors) keep your body from making angiotensin II, a hormone that causes blood vessels to narrow.-$44/mo= $528/yr

Angiotensin II receptor blockers (also called ARBs) protect your blood vessels from the effects of angiotensin II, a hormone that causes blood vessels to narrow.-$56/mo=$627/yr

Treating Diabetes:

*People with diagnosed diabetes, on average, have medical expenditures that are approximately 2.3 times higher than the expenditures would be in the absence of diabetes. * American Diabetes Association


Type II diabetes:

Glucophage (Metformin) - improves hyperglycemia primarily through its suppression of hepatic glucose production -$18 generic $117 Brand name/mo = $216-$1404/yr

Glimepiride lowers the blood glucose level by stimulating pancreatic beta cells to produce more insulin and by inducing increased activity of intracellular insulin receptors. $7 generic $35 brand name/ mo=$84-$420/yr

The combination of the two drugs is prescribed frequently = $50 generic $94 brand name/ mo = $600-$1128/yr

Type I diabetes:

"It will cost the average person treating diabetes $11,744 per year of which $6,649 is attributed to diabetes" ADA (easy enough)


Treating High Blood Cholesterol:

HMG CoA reductase inhibitors slows down the body's ability to make Cholesterol-$32-$150/mo month=$408-$1800/yr

Bile Acid Sequestrants disrupt the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids by sequestering them and preventing their reabsorption from the gut -$127/mo= $1,532/yr

While there are many more health issues associate with living an unhealthy life style, I focused on the three most common cost the average overweight person will encounter.

Conclusion:

It will cost on average between $1068 (very mild cases)-$8901 and still higher, to live an unhealthy lifestyle. Costs do not include co-pays for doctor appointments, time spent away from work or school, other medical problems associated with being overweight.


$50, the average monthly membership to a gym. $600 a year, still half the cost of the mild cases of medical costs. There are other advantages of living healthy including a better body image, and a piece of mind, things that are too valuable to put a price tag on.