Friday, June 24, 2005

Is being Scottish bad for your health?

It is according to this:
"HAVING Celtic genes or even just living in Scotland could put people at far greater risk of heart disease, scientists claimed yesterday.

Researchers at Edinburgh University revealed that an unknown "X-factor" - not linked to the usual suspects of poor diet, smoking, lack of exercise and poverty - appears to be responsible for those living in Scotland having a 50 per cent higher chance of getting the potentially fatal condition than people south of the Border."
Interesting - although I'll reserve judgment: one piece of research I saw showed that people in Bearsden - a relatively prosperous Glasgow suburb - has health rates much the same as the South of England. In neighbouring Drumchapel - one of Glasgow's four peripheral council housing (I should say, housing association now) estates - one can expect to die 10 years earlier, on average. Still, there does appear to be something in the air. From the same article:
" SCOTTISH pets have the UK's worst record for heart disease. According to the records of 245,000 animals treated in the UK by the PDSA veterinary charity, Scots dogs, cats and other animals have the worst cardio-vascular health."
Bloody hell! I'm off to France; they let you smoke and you live longer. It would, as the Americans say, be a "no-brainer" except I canny speak French, beyond ordering a beer, asking where the toilet is and...um...saying I regret nothing - my life has been short but beautiful. Tend to get strange looks when you come out with that last one...

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