Illinois Is One Of The Healthiest States During The Holidays

If someone were to tell you Illinois is one of the healthiest states would you be skeptical? Land of Lincoln often gets a bad rap through word of mouth and in news headlines. It's no secret the state is notorious for money problems and government corruption. When it comes to the overall health of its residents how could you rank it compared to the rest of the United States?

A new study looked at physical health, mental health, and exercise throughout the country, including the District of Columbia, and ranked them from 1-51. Where do you think Illinois landed on the list? It was not at the top but fairly close.

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The research was collected by Life Extension, which sells "clinically-studied" vitamins and supplements. They used eight different metrics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including diet, exercise, alcohol intake, and mental health. (On a personal note, I cringed when reading those. Each of those isn't the best for some of us.)

This study is also based on the around Thanksgiving when many of us want to go for seconds and overindulge in all the fixings. Let's face it, the holidays are a great time to eat, drink, and be merry. This isn't the best plan because of the negative consequences related to excessive drinking, eating, stress, and travel. All of those things contribute to elevated emergency room visits and a 4% in cardiac deaths, a.k.a "holiday heart attacks."

Graph Credit: Life Extension

Where Does Illinois Ranked On The List Of Healthiest States In The U.S.?

In comparison to its bonding states, Illinois sits in a great spot for "health."

Wisconsin (#47)
Indiana (#42)
Missouri (#41)
Iowa (#37)
Wisconsin (#26)

Illinoisans might have a knack for choosing healthier food options, not skipping turkey (which actually has health benefits), and not eating their emotions on Thanksgiving day.

Illinois landed at #7 on the list of "Best & Worst States For Holiday Health," following Hawaii, Maryland, Connecticut, D.C., Massachusetts, and Utah, in respective order.

Check out the in-depth data here.