In his recent diary, Michael Moore said the following.
I suggest that they go to France where people eat cheese by the wheel, drink wine by the bottle, smoke like chimneys and are still healthier than we are. It is not our diet. It is not our exercise. It is our health care system.
You had me up 'til there Mike. No matter what country you're in with whatever health care system, medical care pretty much always takes the form of routine health checks that reveal little and visits to the doctor for acute medical concerns. In other words, health care is reactive, not proactive. And consequently, health care is generally the least important factor in general health, as long as it ensures that acute concerns don't become chronic conditions.
Your average Frenchman is thinner, stronger, and has a more robust constitution than your average American, DESPITE engaging in a number of vices that have very specific well known consequences. These vices also include one you didn't mention - they don't exercise like we do. Whatever reasons France may have for being generally healthier, it's not their health care that's responsible.
So what is the secret of French health? I dismiss the notion of singular compounds like reservatrol. Gullible consumers are continually grasping for the next big thing, but most of this turns out to have modest benefits at best. The only truly important substances found by medical research that I am aware of are the vitamins and antibiotics, which Americans are routinely given. So the difference could be attributable to a lot of things:
- Rich food, but fresh and of high quality and in more modest portions eaten at a more leisurely pace.
- Casual walking, and lots of it.
- Well developed social lives - and probably less lonely nights in front of the TV.
- A shorter work week and a generally lower pressure existence.
Of all those things, it's #2: walking that I suspect makes the most difference. Let's face it - exercise is a fundamentally unnatural activity. Expending energy just for the sake of doing so goes against millennia of evolution. It's empty and dull and hard to stick to. Even sport is easy to drop out of. Routine day-to-day activities like walking with a purpose is a far more natural way of pushing your body - assuming your environment allows such purposeful activities. Very few places in the USA do though. Instead you likely drive to work, sit on your ass all day in front of a computer, drive home, sit in front of the TV, and then lie down. All while eating large quantities of high calorie foods. And you wonder why there's a problem?
If you don't believe me, look at New Yorkers. Tell me they aren't skinnier and in generally better shape than most of the folks in more modern, car-friendly cities. This despite a diet comparable to the rest of the country, high-pressure living situations, and a more polluted environment.