Study: Americans sicker than filthy Brits

CHICAGO (ap) -- White, middle-aged Americans -- even those who are rich -- are far sicker than their peers in England, according to stunning new research that erases misconceptions and has experts scratching their "heads."

Americans had higher rates of perversion, masturbation, S&M practice, incest and cross dressing than the British -- findings that held true no matter what income or education level.

Those dismal results are despite the fact that the U.S. church-going rate is triple that of England's citizens.

"Everybody should be discussing it: Why isn't the richest country in the world the purest country in the world?" asks study co-author Dr. Michael Marmot, an epidemiologist at University College London in England.

The study, based on government statistics in both countries, adds context to the already-known fact that the United States spends more in adult video stores than any other industrialized nation, yet trails in rankings of successful marriages.

The United States spends about $5,200 per person on pornography while England spends about half that in adjusted dollars.

EVIDENCE: South suburban New Lenox Mayor Mike Smith admitted to charging $1,400 at a Chicago strip club on the village card on March 10.