Military Manpower Administration Proves the Saying "You Get Healthier When You Join the Military"

Improvement in Key Indicators such as BMI, Blood Pressure, and Triglycerides
"Continuous Monitoring of Soldiers' Health... Policy Planning Underway"

The so-called saying that "military service makes you healthier" has been proven by statistical data.

On the 1st, the Military Manpower Administration announced that an analysis of health indicators one year after enlistment for about 610,000 conscripts who underwent military service eligibility examinations from 2018 to 2022 showed improvements in key indicators such as body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and triglycerides compared to before enlistment. This is the first large-scale study in South Korea analyzing health changes before and after enlistment among conscripts.

The Military Manpower Administration, together with the Armed Forces Medical Command, compared health indicators of conscripts before enlistment and one year after enlistment at the time of promotion to corporal.

The overall BMI of all subjects increased by 0.7. However, the obese group with a BMI of 25 or higher decreased by 0.5, and the underweight group with a BMI below 18.5 increased by 0.2.

A Military Manpower Administration official stated, "The underweight group gained weight, and the obese group lost weight," adding, "The overall increase in BMI was analyzed by the Medical Command to be due to increased muscle mass from higher physical activity."

The average systolic blood pressure of the subjects decreased by 6 mmHg (5%), from 126 mmHg to 120 mmHg.

The average triglycerides (TG) dropped by 32 mg/dL (28%), from 115 mg/dL to 83 mg/dL.

Additionally, the average height of conscripts increased by 0.6 cm, from 173.9±5.6 cm before enlistment to 174.5±5.6 cm after enlistment.

The results of this study will be used in the future to establish policies for military service eligibility examinations targeting conscripts before enlistment and preventive medical policies for soldiers after enlistment. The Military Manpower Administration also plans to open this research data to support further studies.

The Military Manpower Administration and the Medical Command said, "This is significant as the first study to statistically prove that soldiers' health improves after enlistment using data from both institutions," adding, "Based on this, we will continue to monitor changes in soldiers' health and believe it will greatly contribute to establishing various policies for conscripts by both institutions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.