By Dr. Daniel Thomas
If you are a Baby Boomer (born between 1946 and 1964) and have children in the Millennial generation (born between 1980 and 1996), you need to read this. While many Baby Boomers are becoming more and more decrepit by the day, the Millennials, sadly, are not far behind. Many articles are being written about how Millennials are aging at a faster rate than Baby Boomers. As a result, Millennials will be developing the diseases of aging at a much younger age and may not live as long as their parents. In fact, it will not be unheard of to see Millennial children die before their Baby Boomer parents!
I am starting to see this phenomenon in my own practice. Most of my patients are Baby Boomers and most have adult Millennial children. Some of these adult children have come to see me for various health conditions that used to be unheard of in their young age bracket. In nearly every case, the child’s bloodwork results and health status are worse than the parents. If I set the child’s and the parent’s bloodwork results side by side, blacked out the name and date of birth and asked you to guess which bloodwork belonged to the parent and which belonged to the child, you would be wrong if you said the worst bloodwork belonged to the parent. Based on the bloodwork results, the child is biologically older than the parent!
While scientists are at a loss to explain this, I believe the reasons are plain-as-day as to why Millennials are aging faster than their parents. If you are a Baby Boomer like me, we grew up before the invention of GMO foods. Roundup wasn’t used until 1974. High-fructose corn syrup had not come on the scene until the late 70’s. Most things were sweetened with real sugar. Artificial sweeteners began to be used in the mid 70’s. There were less artificial colors and flavors, fewer pesticides and herbicides, and less manmade chemicals in the food, soil, water, and air. Things were not perfect, but for us Baby Boomers, we grew up with cleaner food and a cleaner environment. The same cannot be said for the Millennials. From the moment of conception, they have been exposed to things that Baby Boomers were not exposed to until later in life. Plus, we didn’t have cable TV, video games, smartphones, and the internet. As a result, we were far more active than our children. We played outdoors, got sunlight and fresh air, and had less stress.
If you have a child born between 1980 and 1996, don’t think for one single minute that just because they are young, everything is fine with their health. I urge you to have their doctor order the correct bloodwork. A thorough analysis of the blood profile is the place to start to prevent disease and secure a long and healthy life. You don’t have to wait until you have a serious illness to get healthy. Your blood often reveals chemical changes in your body before symptoms of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer’s begin to surface. This vital information gives insight into your true state of health. With this valuable information, corrective action can be taken before you are stricken with a life-threatening disease.
A key to avoiding serious disease relies not only on obtaining the correct blood tests but applying the correct interpretation as well. Many of the blood tests we obtain are rarely if ever, ordered by your primary care physician, but are crucial for protecting your health and extending your life. Regarding interpretation, the question is not, what is a “normal” test result, but rather, what is an “optimal” test result? Normal ranges are nothing more than statistical averages of the general (and unhealthy) population. These ranges are too often associated with an increased risk of disease and mortality. Optimal ranges are altogether different. They are based on the latest scientific research and are associated with people who experience the longest lifespans, the lowest incidence of disease, and the greatest quality of life.
Dr. Daniel Thomas, DO, MS
www.HealthyAndStrong.com