People who eat candy live one year longer than people who never eat candy. This is an interesting statistic which I heard over the weekend; the opposite of what one would expect. It comes from a well known 1998 medical research study from the Harvard School of Public Health. A long term study of men entering Harvard University as undergraduates between 1916 and 1950. Data for 7,841 men were analyzed. After adjusting for age and many kinds of health and behavior factors, the conclusion was that consumption of candy was associated with greater longevity. Candy eaters lived almost a year longer than those who abstained. What was interesting was that mortality was lowest among those consuming candy 1-3 times a month and highest among those eating candy three or more times a week. However, of particular significance, non-consumers of candy still had the highest mortality overall.

This really got me thinking. What does it mean? Should we be eating candy 1-3 times a month? Does it mean that if we do we will live longer? I would like to propose that longevity is associated not with eating more or less candy but with the fact that the abstainers said that they never ate candy. What does it mean to say "I never eat candy". It implies inflexibility and rigidity. We should be looking at the use of the word "never".

Inflexibility can be hard on your health. We have become a nation of too much and never. A nation of extremes. We eat way too much junk food and then we starve ourselves trying to lose weight. The secret is in balance and moderation. So if you catch yourself using the word "never" try "sometimes" instead.

Chances are that you will live longer.