Britain's National Lottery provides a wonderful opportunity for studying the effect of money on health, says a clinical trials expert.

It's already known that a modest increase in income can confer significant health benefits. Anthony Rogers of the Clinical Trials Research Unit at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, is calling upon the UK's medical researchers to use the National Lottery to carry out a large-scale trial of the effects of winning on health.

He suggests that a proportion of the prize money be given as a long-term income supplement - rather than a cash bonanza. The people who won could be studied and compared to a similar group of non-winners. It would be fascinating to see the effect of doubling someone's income upon their lifestyle and future health, he says. How much money do you need to improve your health - and how quickly does it happen? These, and other questions on the relationship between income and health, could readily be answered by such a study. What's more, the trial would be self-financing and in line with the Government's aim of using Lottery funds to improve health and education.

Source

British Medical Journal December 22 2001