Do We have Age Ceiling?

Jeanne Clement, 122 years old from France, credit to Katie Serena

Average life expectancy of the world is 72 years with women little bit higher (72.7 years) and 68.3 years for men. Top 5 countries with higher life expectancy are following:

1. Japan, 83.7 years

2. Switzerland, 83.4 years

3. Singapore, 83.1 years

4. Australia, 82.8 years

5. Spain, 82.8 years

Do you know life expectancy of your country?

The life expectancy depend on many factors, include quality nutrition intake, proper time of sleep (8 hours) and doing exercises.

The question is how long could we live? The scientists estimated that human being could reach live around 115 years. Sure, female will live longer than male. Length of live has a ceiling or limitation.

In fact, two of the oldest persons ever recorded in the world are Emma Morano, 117 years old from Italy and Jeanne Clement, 122 years old from France. No record for human with 125 years old and more.

How about you? How old you wish to live?

Why is Health Care Cost Increasing in the USA?

Health care cost based on % of GDP, credit to Learn Liberty

USA has the most expensive health care service among industry countries. In term of GDP that the country spent more than 15% for health care (please see above graph). This number is 30% higher than Switzerland, Japan, Germany and Sweden. Three times higher than Mexico, Latvia and Turkey.

Health care cost per-person, USA compared to other countries,

credit to Peterson Foundation

In respect to cost per capita, one person is expected to spend US$ 9,024 for healthcare in the USA in 2016 (please see the second graph at above). Cost increasing is more than 10 thousand dollar recently. Much more higher than average of OECD countries.

The question is: why health cost is expensive and tend to increase year by year in the USA? The important factors cause the higher health cost are following:

1. Fewer Physicians

- number of physicians per 1000 (thousand) is 3.9. It is considered low compared to average of 7.6 in OECD countries.

2. Lower hospital bed numbers

- Bed number is 2.83 per 1000 (one thousand) people in the USA compared to other developed nations such as Germany (8.48), Belgium (6.18) and France (6.13). Lower supply means higher cost.

3.Higher drug costs

-Prescription drug spending is much more higher in the USA than European countries. It is because drug price is expensive in the America than other countries.

What do you think?

Is Bitter Melon Good for Health?

Bitter melon on the plate

Bitter melon is quite abundant in South East Asian countries, It is believed from India originally. The melons also grow well in regions of:

- Africa

- South America

- some parts of Asia

- South East Asia

- The Caribbeans.

The shape and green color look like a cucumber:

- slender

- a little bit long.

Actually, cucumber and bitter melon are the same family, Cucurbitaceae. But, the scientific name for bitter melon is Momordica charantia. 

Bitter melons are sold in the market

The color will change to orange or yellow when ripen. One of bitter, and might be even most bitter vegetable eaten by human.

The ripen the melon the bitter it taste. It is harvested a year round.

Some ethnic shops such as Asian shops and Mexican shops sell the bitter melon in the USA market. 

Cuts of a bitter melon

The melon was eaten (cook) as vegetable and sometimes drink as juice. Nutritional values are good for health.

Just for comparison, bitter melon contains:

- more calcium than spinach

- more potassium than banana

- more beta-carotene than broccoli.

Ready to cook

In addition that bitter melon also rich of:

- vitamin

- magnesium

- iron.

Some people in Asia and other developing country are using bitter melon as traditional medicines for:

- fever

- cough

- improve skin health

- prevent malaria

- chicken fox

- measles.

Moreover, researchers from industry countries are studying possibility to extract bitter melon to preven growing and spreading of breast cancer cells.

But be careful, since bitter taste, thus might problem for some people stomachs. After a while, their stomach might be adjust to bitterness of this vegetable.

Have you tried it?