Healthy living
Anti-ageing
Healthy lifestyle could add 14 years to your life
Four key lifestyle changes could add years to your life, according to a study published in the journal, PloS Medicine
A combination of good diet, moderate drinking, stopping smoking and regular exercise could increase your lifespan by as much as 14 years.
Researchers from Cambridge University began their study in the mid 1990s when they asked over 20,000 healthy men and women aged between 45 and 79 to describe their daily habits. The volunteers, who all lived in Norfolk, were asked whether they smoked, how much alcohol they drank (if it was less than 15 units each week) and if they took regular exercise. They were also asked about their diet and if they ate the equivalent of five portions of fruit and vegetables each day. They were then given points, one for each healthy habit. People with four points had the healthiest lifestyles. Those with zero points had the least healthy lifestyles.
Over a decade later in 2006, the researchers contacted the volunteers again and found that even taking into account other contributing factors such as age, those people with a zero score were four times more likely to have died than those with full points. The healthiest group, with a top score of 4, were calculated to have a lifespan, on average, 14 years longer than their lowest scoring colleagues.
The study revealed that a 60 year old with a score of zero had the same risk of dying as a 74 year old with a top rated score of four.
Smoking came out as the worst vice - people who smoked had a 77 percent greater chance of dying than those who didn't. But there was good news for those who managed to quit. They showed an 80 per cent health improvement over the course of the study.
The lifestyle change rated the highest after quitting smoking was having a healthy diet which included the recommended five portions of fruit and veg a day. People who did this had a 44 per cent greater chance of staying alive until the end of the study.
'These results may provide further support for the idea that even small differences in lifestyle may make a big difference to health in the population and encourage behaviour change,' say the researchers in their report.
Previous research has shown that individually these lifestyle choices can affect longevity; however this study is among the first to look at their combined impact.
'Lifestyles are important - we know that prevention is better than cure,' says Michael Summers, vice Chairman of the Patients Association, 'We need to think about our health more seriously and take responsibility for our own well-being. It may not be easy but the rewards are worth the effort.'
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- The top 20 healthy foods
- Exercise: how much you really need to do
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Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.