Homosexuals face greater health risks than heterosexuals: study
The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) has found that gays, lesbians and bisexuals have significantly greater health problems than heterosexuals. The NHIS has been analyzing Americans' health since 1957, and in 2013 began including sexual orientation. A study of its data, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), revealed that of 69,000 adult participants, homosexuals "were more likely to report impaired physical and mental health, heavy alcohol consumption, and heavy cigarette use." Vanderbilt University School of Medicine's Dr. Gilbert Gonzales led the study, which found lesbians were 91 percent more likely to have "poor" or "fair" health and 51 percent more likely to have multiple chronic conditions compared to heterosexual women. Lesbians also were significantly more likely to experience psychological distress than female heterosexuals (28 percent vs. 22 percent). Homosexual men reported psychologi