How would you feel if you could add a 10 more disease-free and healthy years to your life? A recent study has revealed your life could significantly better if you completely remove five bad health habits. The department of nutrition at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health analysed the impact of these major behaviours on the chance of living a longer life free of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other chronic diseases.
The habits include overweight, drinking too much alcohol, smoking, not exercising, and eating an unhealthy diet. Senior author Dr Frank Hu, who chairs the department of nutrition, said, “We found that following a healthy lifestyle can substantially extend the years a person lives disease-free.” He added, “In particular, women who practiced all five habits gained over 10 years of disease-free life, and men who did so gained almost eight years.”
The research is based on a study published last year that closely saw over 38,000 men for 28 years and 73,000 women for 34 years. It found women who adopted all five healthy habits at age 50 lived 14 years longer than women who did not. Hu said women who practiced four or five of the healthy habits over the next 20 to 30 years had an additional 10.6 years of disease-free living compared to women who adopted no lifestyle changes. When broken by disease, the healthier women gained an average of eight years free of cancer, 10 years with no cardiovascular disease and 12 years without diabetes.
Men who practiced four to five healthy behaviours gained 7.6 years; longer life expectancy, an average of six more years without cancer, almost nine more years free of heart issues and over 10 years without diabetes. Hu said, “This is a positive health message because it means healthy lifestyle habits not only prolong life, but also improves the quality of life and reduce sufferings related to chronic diseases.”
He added, “It is never too late to adopt these habits. For smokers, the single most important thing that one should do is to stop smoking. For non-smokers, eating a healthy diet and being physically active are important for keeping a healthy weight.”
