A recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine points out that older people who lack "health literacy"—meaning they can't read or understand basic medical information—may have a higher mortality rate than more literate patients. At the beginning of the study, the patients were asked about their health and backgrounds and given a health literacy test that required reading and some math. In the following years, those who had been identified as having inadequate reading skills were the most likely to die, even when overall education and other social factors were taken into account.
So keep those reading glasses prescriptions updated—it could extend your life!
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