Why should I, 20-yo male, bother with my health?

Atherosclerosis, Cancer, Diabetes etc. These are problems now, but aren't they likely to be solved in the next, say, 50 years?

Why should I make the healthiest options available for me right now (such as following an almost vegetarian low-fat diet)?

And isn't it safe to just not bother with it at all?

Your problem is laziness. Sure they have great treatments for those ailments but do you really want to take medication for the rest of your life? And they wonder why so many people are fat. L A Z Y!!

Because there's no guarantee that these problems WILL be solved in the next 50 years, or that new ones won't be discovered.

You only get one body in this life and it has to last you.

I see your point, but what if cures are not found? It is better to be safe than sorry.

To stick your head in the sand and ignore the effects of obesity, excessive use of drugs, reckless behaviour and downright stupidity will get you dead, sooner rather than later. Too many of our young people are dying of skin cancer, after being a sun worshipper. Lots of others are dying of drug and alcohol abuse. Yes, you need to look after your health and get enough sleep. Otherwise your life won't be anywhere near what it should have been.

The problems might not be solved in the next 50 years and if you don't care about your health, you might not be able to live 50 more years.

You should bother with your health now, becuase how you take care of yourself from 18-25 plays a big roll in your health when your 45+

You dont have to follow an almost vegetarian low-fat diet to be and stay healthy. But it is certainly worth taking your health into consideration now. You cant rely on medicine to find a cure for problems when you could help prevent them yourself. Wont your face be red when you find out there no cure for some serious disease you get later on in life

there is no warranty that all this diseases will be eliminated in any near future because there are so many things that contribute to them. it is important to bother with your health at this age because we now know that this is when some of the damage starts to happen -- coronary artery build up, increasing resistance to insulin which contributes to diabetes,etc.. It is rec that young people get a complete physical exam to include blood work starting around age 18-20 and every 2-3 yrs after -- but the length of time in between them is to be determined by the findings during the initial exam as well as by the family history of that individual

its safe if you wanna die