Health Statistics

The raw facts about men's health

The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, who gives his name to the hippocratic oath that doctors take, said 'a wise man ought to realise that his health is his most valuable possession.' Most encyclopaedias reckon the great man lived to around 80 which is pretty good going for someone born nearly 2500 years ago. Trouble is few blokes since have taken his advice.

Workaholic motor manufacturer Henry Ford, for example, described many things as bunk, including exercise. 'If you're healthy you don't need it; if you are sick, you shouldn't take it,' he opined. Men of letters have taken a similar attitude. Novelist Kingley Amis famously said: 'Almost nothing is worth giving up for the sake of a few more years in a nursing home in Bournemouth.' Even sportsmen have been less than dedicated to their well-being. Boxer George Foreman, who regained the world heavyweight title at the age of 45, admitted shortly after this feat: 'I have the body of a man half my age. Unfortunately, he's in terrible shape.'

The facts are that the average man lives a shorter life than the average woman and for fifteen years of that life he can expect to be seriously or chronically ill. This site hopes to help you to avoid Mr Average's fate but first, what are the raw statistics of men's health and how does it compare with that of women?