Insights \ Health Hits

I have a confession to make: I'd like a perfect body. Okay, that's not much of a confession. Most of us would like to have a leaner, meaner frame.

(While I'm at it, I'd like to not have diabetes.)

But what would you give up to achieve the perfect proportions and weight? A recent survey conducted at and near British universities found that many women were willing to trade years off their life in order to achieve a better body:

• 16 percent would shave 1 year off their life
• 10 percent would trade 2 to 5 years,
• 2 percent would give up 6 to 10 years,
• and 1 percent would sacrifice 21 years or more.

The good news is this group only represents a third of all the women surveyed--and it's a small survey. The bad news: "The findings highlight that body image is an issue for all women, and not just adolescent girls," researcher Phillippa Diedrichs told LiveScience.