Peer Group Getting Sick Earlier than Parents' Gen. Thoughts? Environment?

[Jambalaya]

Hmm, so I'm beginning to think that I shouldn't keep up with childhood friends, because over the holidays I googled some of them, to find that two of them have husbands who are very sick, even though they are only 42 and 48. (Parkinson's and ALS.) I'm sad for those childhood friends; they both have children in their young teens. I also have a friend my age who has just finished treatment for an aggressive cancer. When my parents were in their mid-forties, as I am now, none of their circle was sick. Also, I didn't know anyone throughout school who lost a parent. But all told, in the last decade I know of 22 people who have passed away or are seriously sick, and half of those were/are under 48. None of the rest were VERY old, all 65-75.

Has anyone else noticed people in their orbit getting sick earlier than you'd have expected? I'd have expected this sort of thing to start at more like 60/65-plus, but I'm much younger than that. Perhaps it's because I keep up with a lot of people. But also, I wonder about environmental reasons. My generation grew up with BPA plastics, pesticides, and Pill-contaminated water, none of which my parents or grandparents had.

Michael J. Fox worked on a sitcom as a teenager entitled Leo & Me. He says that four of the people who work on that show, including him, later developed early-onset Parkinson's. So it makes you wonder if environmental causes are playing a part. Viruses are also suspected.

Has anyone else noticed that their peers are having significant health problems a decade or two earlier than you'd have expected, based on how you parents and grandparents' lives were?

I tried to read some articles about this stage of life, but actually, I feel better when I keep busy and don't think about it too much! I was pretty shocked about the friends' husbands though. I'm just surprised because I really didn't expect all this to start happening until at LEAST decade from now.

 

[seaurchin]

I think you are right. A lot of things have changed and not all of them good. When I was a kid, we played outside a good deal of the time, getting lots of physical exercise rather than being indoors in front of a screen. There was also not nearly as much fast food and processed food around and many more home vegetable gardens.

For ex., in the US, I believe it's now something like 70% of the adult population that is overweight or obese, likely from the sweeping societal changes above of less exercise and less whole foods. And along with that comes higher diabetes, heart conditions, cancers, etc. And that's not even getting started on environmental factors.

 

[Jambalaya]

Seaurchin, what age bracket are you in, approximately? I'm mid-forties, and my parents' generation, born late 1930s to mid 1940s, appear to be doing much better.

 

[Jambalaya]

I also suspect toxins from cars, such as the pollution from brake dust, and diesel, too. In the 1940s and 1950s there were many fewer cars on the road.

 

[Petalouda]

I’m in my late 30s and my very healthy Grandmother thinks a lot of the rise in Illness and mental illness has to do with the high quantity of processed foods younger generations eat. Truth be told, it would make sense.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Not my generating but by mum and both her brothers all died at 72, years latter than their parents

My dad and his sister and 3 of his inlaws died from cancer in their 50s, but my grandma was only 52 when she died

As far as i know all my cousins are doing ok although one on mum's side has MS

Personally im hoping this generation is doing better than our parents

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

I don;t know. I keep my friends pretty close so I am in the loop when it comes to their healthcare issues. I have always said the 50's are a dangerous age. If you survive the 50's you can expect another 15 to 40 years of life IMHO.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I don;t know. I keep my friends pretty close so I am in the loop when it comes to their healthcare issues. I have always said the 50's are a dangerous age. If you survive the 50's you can expect another 15 to 40 years of life IMHO.

To quote Prince Philip

​

In an interview with The Telegraph back in 2000, the duke said he "couldn't imagine anything worse" than turning 100.

When discussing the Queen Mother's 100th birthday, Prince Philip told the publication he had "no desire whatsoever" to reach the same age"
"I can't imagine anything worse," he said. "Bits of me are falling off already."

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

To quote Prince Philip

​

In an interview with The Telegraph back in 2000, the duke said he "couldn't imagine anything worse" than turning 100.

When discussing the Queen Mother's 100th birthday, Prince Philip told the publication he had "no desire whatsoever" to reach the same age"
"I can't imagine anything worse," he said. "Bits of me are falling off already."

Oh Daisy that reminds me of an old joke. Who wants to live to be 100? The answer was someone who is 99. And really- we are programmed with an instinct to survive and I don't expect it shuts off at a certain age for the most part. At my age bits and pieces are not working the way they did when I was 18. Lol

 

[HollyC]

I was just talking about this last week @Jambalaya
I’m mid 40’s and none of my friends parents were dying when I was a teenager. Two (different family) parents of my sons peer group died last month - same age group as me. It was a total of 4 parents that died last year. Cancer, stroke and heart attack.

 

[Austina]

All our friends in our age group, 60-70 are still alive and kicking with no significant life threatening illnesses.

My maternal grandparents both died at 48 from heart problems, (that was in the early 1950’s) and my mother had 3 massive heart attacks in the 1970’s.

 

[diamondringlover]

I find this interesting me and a good friend has discussed this in the past and I work in the health care industry and I see a increase in such things like cancer amongst younger adults, my friend's daughter had thyroid cancer at the age of 22, my son knew several of his friends and people he knew/worked with had various types of cancer at the 22-26 age bracket...I think additives in food and as you said increased toxins in the air is contributing to this...

 

[lilmosun]

I wouldn't be surprised and think there are a combination of factors...environment, genetically modified/hybrid/processed foods and lifestyle.

When I grew up, food allergies were unheard of. When my kids were growing up, it was rare not to know a child who wasn't allergic to nuts, peanuts or dairy. Allergies are the result of a hypersensitive immune system.

I also think that the world we live in today is much more stressful than it was when I was growing up which can lead to a lot of medical conditions. I've often said that I am glad I'm not a young kid starting again.

 

[HollyC]

I wouldn't be surprised and think there are a combination of factors...environment, genetically modified/hybrid/processed foods and lifestyle.

When I grew up, food allergies were unheard of. When my kids were growing up, it was rare not to know a child who wasn't allergic to nuts, peanuts or dairy. Allergies are the result of a hypersensitive immune system.

I also think that the world we live in today is much more stressful than it was when I was growing up which can lead to a lot of medical conditions. I've often said that I am glad I'm not a young kid starting again.

100% agree

 

[AprilBaby]

My father, born 1927, got Parkinson’s at age 40. It was not diagnosed till near 60. I was afraid it was genetic and worried but my primary care dr told me it was more likely environmental. My mother died at 33 of breast cancer, her mother of multiple myeloma, and then my moms sister also of multiple myeloma. They all grew up in inner city Philadelphia. It could have been coal, smoke, electrical lines, smog...
My generation is over 60 and we are all fine.

 

[Dancing Fire]

I don't watch what I eat , so I'll live forever. My sister always ate a lot of veggies since she was young and she had cancer at the age of 50. She's now 70 and doing great.

 

[MeowMeow]

I don't know. I feel like it might partly depend on genetics along with environmental factors. My family has lots of health issues. Cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes. Mental illness. We lost my mom when she was about 53. My grandmother had cancer somewhere. I feel like she was in her 40s or 50s. My grandfather died in his early 60s. I honestly would not be surprised if I die early as well. My father on the other hand. His family is generally living until their 80s and 90s. My husband comes from a family that seems to live longer so my daughter may have some hope. The problem on their side is dementia and Alzheimers (sp?)

 

[Polabowla]

When i was a kid, there was 1 girl who had lost her father & it was shocking.
Nowadays, my daughter has 2 clsssmates who lost a parent.
It's more common seemingly & so sad.

 

[Snowdrop13]

I had 3 friends die in their 40’s from cancer plus I have a couple of neighbours who have been extremely unwell at a similar age. My social circle is much, much wider than my parents’ ever was, I was at a big high school, my year at university had 200+ in it and we all sort of knew each other, then I have worked in multiple hospitals and made friends with my kids mums and dads. I think statistically it makes sense. Most people are pretty healthy up until their 30’s, once you get to the 40’s that’s when genetics and risk factors start to have an influence.

 

[monarch64]

My high school classmates and other friends have been diagnosed with and dying from cancers since our early thirties. Others have passed unexpectedly from heart attacks or strokes. Still more have succumbed to drugs like meth or other addictive substances. My dad wasn't dx with colon cancer until he was 64; his father was 54 when dx with the same cancer. I don't think there's rhyme or reason. I think, like so many things, it's a combination of nature + nurture and doesn't have that much more or less to do with age.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

So long as these guys keep going there is hope for the rest of us.

 

[Jambalaya]

Very interesting. It seems that not a few people of my age are having similar experiences.

I have a friend who got an aggressive form of breast cancer in her early forties, although she is slim, fit, has never drank, smoked, or done drugs, and there is no family history of her disease. BUT, she has spent over two hours a day on a commuter train for the past twenty years, and those trains in her area are diesel engines. Diesel fumes are incredibly toxic.

I think the point made above about allergies is also interesting. It's the same for me - when growing up, there were no children at school with allergies to peanuts and such. We hadn't heard of anything like that. Today, it sometimes happens that I'll be in a group (pre-Covid) and have a parent mention that their child has this or that serious allergy.

My parents and grandparents' generation had toxins that we don't have today, for sure. They had cigarette smoke, smoke from coal fires, and although there was much less traffic, what there was, probably spewed out worse toxins than modern vehicles. But since it seems that subsequent generations are experiencing more ill-health, it must be due to toxins that are new to us.

OR, it's the effect of toxins that our mothers and fathers were exposed to when my generation was created. Such as sperm with toxins and mothers breathing environmental toxins. These things can transmit down the generations. For example, people whose mothers took that anti-sickness medicine in the 1940s have daughters AND grand-daughters with higher rates of breast cancer. This makes sense when you consider that we were all inside our grandmothers at some point. (Because we were eggs inside our mothers when our mothers were fetuses.)

It's complicated.

 

[partgypsy]

I think it is a combination of factors like lilmosun mentioned. I think of my parents and they spent more time outside, more physical activity, eating more simple less processed foods, most likely less contaminants in the water, soil and air (except for maybe things like lead and absestos) and also life was - simpler. Obsesity and lifestyle related conditions were much less prevelant. I remember growing up and during the summer, and school breaks we would simply be out doors all day, and just come home for meals running with the other kids in the neighborhood. Some of those things are under our control and some aren't. I ended up having a health condition this year. And the previous 4 years I went from due to divorce and change in job walking to and from work to driving and well as other less healthy changes (high stress, tighter finances and time stuff). And I ended up having a serious health challenge this year. It makes me realize I do need to live a lower stress, more joyful and higher physical activity life than I'm doing. And my kids have become much more sedentary during COVID and that is something else I need to work on.

 

[Laila619]

I’m in my late 30s and my very healthy Grandmother thinks a lot of the rise in Illness and mental illness has to do with the high quantity of processed foods younger generations eat. Truth be told, it would make sense.

Yep. Look at grocery store shelves today compared with 20-50 years ago. The highly-processed, high fructose corn syrup laden, genetically modified/engineered junk that passes for food is horrifying!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Yep. Look at grocery store shelves today compared with 20-50 years ago. The highly-processed, high fructose corn syrup laden, genetically modified/engineered junk that passes for food is horrifying!

Yup, especially those fake meats. They'll kill you in hurry!...

 

[Dancing Fire]

When I grew up, food allergies were unheard of. When my kids were growing up, it was rare not to know a child who wasn't allergic to nuts, peanuts or dairy. Allergies are the result of a hypersensitive immune system.

When I was growing up I never heard of kids with these kind of problems. We ate whatever was in the school lunch tray. Unlike today's school lunch "garbage" back then it was real home cook foods cooked daily in the school kitchen...

 

[doberman]

I've been saying for YEARS that our obsession with plastic was killing us in a number of ways. Add prepackaged food (in plastic, of course) to the equation and you have a grat environment for things to go wrong.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Yep. Look at grocery store shelves today compared with 20-50 years ago. The highly-processed, high fructose corn syrup laden, genetically modified/engineered junk that passes for food is horrifying!

I read this thing (a while ago so its great grandmothers for some people)
But don't eat anything a grand mother (of any culture) would not recognise
So pretty much stay away from highly processed food

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

When I was growing up I never heard of kids with these kind of problems. We ate whatever was in the school lunch tray. Unlike today's school lunch "garbage" back then it was real home cook foods cooked daily in the school kitchen...

Think of home made baking compaired to store bought
Lots of fat and sugar but at least you know its sugar and butter

what are all those other little things in the usually way too mong ingrediant list on the wrappers ??

 

[Dancing Fire]

Allergies are the result of a hypersensitive immune system.

My healthy friends say... they don't understand why I don't suffer during allergies season... I told them b/c I eat a lot of unhealthy foods... They eat healthy foods and exercise like crazy, but they all suffer from having runny nose and itchy eyes during allergies season.