A Healthy Lifestyle Could Add 12 Years to Your Life
Everyone would like to live a longer, healthier life. Results of a new 20-year study show 4 specific ways you can do this: eating more fruits and vegetables, getting regular physical activity, not smoking, and not drinking heavily. They sound like simple health behaviors, but when taken together they could add up to 12 years to your life expectancy compared to people who don't follow these healthy behaviors.
The study was conducted in England and included nearly 5,000 men and women who were then followed for 20 years. Researchers identified how many of these healthy behaviors people were following in their lives, then looked to see who lived and who didn't. Each unhealthy behavior significantly increased their risk of dying – notice how much in the information below:
Number of Poor Health Behaviors » Relative Risk of Death from Any Cause
1 poor health behavior » 1.85 (85 percent increased risk of dying in the 20-year study)
2 poor health behaviors » 2.23
3 poor health behaviors » 2.76
4 poor health behaviors » 3.49
People who followed none of the 4 healthy behaviors were 3.5 times more likely to die during the 20-year study compared to those who did live healthfully. This was equivalent to losing 12 years of life. Each healthy behavior added about 3 years of life. Not a bad investment in your health. Keep in mind that those living more healthfully also enjoyed better health all of their life.
Researchers found that these 4 health behaviors (when not followed) were responsible for over 55 percent of all deaths in the 20-year study. Think of the impact of these 4 simple lifestyle practices on our nation's health and healthcare costs. This certainly illustrates the potential importance of healthy living on preventing early disease and death.
Here are the specific guidelines for the 4 behaviors linked to a healthier, longer life:
Don't smoke. If you do, get help in stopping.
Get regular physical activity. Aim for at least 2.5 hours weekly (half an hour daily).
Eat more fruits and vegetables, at least 5 servings daily. The new guidelines in the DASH Diet recommend 8-10 servings daily for best health. A serving of fruit is 1 apple, orange, or banana; 1 cup of fresh fruit; 1/2 cup of cooked fruit; ¼ cup dried fruit; or 6 ounces of juice. A serving of vegetables is 1 cup fresh vegetables; ½ cup of cooked vegetables; or 6 ounces of juice. These foods are low in calories and high in protective nutrients.
Don't drink heavily. If you choose to drink alcoholic beverages, healthy guidelines recommend limiting intake to no more than 1 drink daily (for women) or 2 drinks daily (for men).
Source: Kvaavik E, et al. Influence of Individual and Combined Health Behaviors on Total and Cause-Specific Mortality in Men and Women. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2010;170(8):711-718.
