Warning: Doctors have determined that being a Mississippian is dangerous to your health.

That&8217;s right, living in the Hospitality State apparently takes a toll on a person&8217;s health.

A study released this week ranks the average life span in Mississippi as the lowest of any other state, excluding the District of Columbia.

Louisiana is a close second in state rankings.

The study points to a number of factors as the cause of the high mortality rates among residents of the Magnolia State. Among them include a high rates of obesity and diabetes and poor access to health care &8212; particularly in rural areas.

The saddest part of this study is the trends are getting worse.

Experts say unless we collectively change our lifestyles, soon our children will &8212; for the first time in U.S. history &8212; die younger than their parents.

We, as a state, must begin realizing just how serious our health is and push hard to take care of one another.

Often, we laugh about our current state of health. We seem to believe we have plenty of time to &8220;get healthy&8221; so we laugh in the face of death with morbid humor.

Rocker Billy Joel made millions singing, &8220;I&8217;d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints. The sinners are much more fun &8230; You know that only the good die young.&8221;

Billy Joel was dead wrong, and if he ever moved to Mississippi he might statistically see just how dead.