A new study published by the American Heart Association (AHA) suggests that adults in the US who follow 5 healthy lifestyle habits may live more than a decade longer than those who do not. These habits include:
Consuming a Healthy Diet
Exercising Regularly
Avoiding Smoking
Maintaining a Healthy Weight
Restricting Alcohol Consumption
At 50, men and women in the study had an average life expectancy of 14 years and 12 years, respectively, when they followed all 5 habits. AHA published the study in Circulation on April 30, 2018.
Despite being one of the richest countries in the world and spending more on health care as a percentage of gross domestic product than any other country, the United States ranks 31st for life expectancy among people born in 2015. Authors of the article argue that the US healthcare system focuses largely on drug discovery and disease management, even though a greater emphasis on prevention could help control the most common and expensive diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Researchers examined data from 123,219 Nurses’ Health Study participants from 1980 to 2014 and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study participants from 1986 to 2014. In order to estimate the impact of 5 healthy lifestyle habits on life expectancy, they used data from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. They found:
- 42,167 people in the study died during a follow-up period of up to 34 years.
- 13,953 of the reported deaths resulted from cancer, and 10,689 from cardiovascular disease.
- The life expectancy of men and women who reported following all 5 healthy lifestyle habits increased. Women who had adopted none of the five healthy lifestyle habits at the age of 50 had an average remaining life expectancy of 29 years, while those who adopted all five healthy lifestyle behaviours had an average remaining life expectancy of 43.1 years. The average remaining life expectancy of men who didn’t adopt any of the healthy lifestyle habits was 25.5 years while the average remaining life expectancy of men who adopted all 5 healthy lifestyle habits was 37.6 years.
- The follow-up study found that people who followed all 5 healthy habits had 74% less chance of dying than those who didn’t. Compared with the general population, they were 82% less likely to die of cardiovascular disease and 65% less likely to die of cancer.
- In this study, the combination of all five healthy habits was found to reduce premature death risk the most.
Exactly what is ‘healthy?’
Researchers devised a scoring system to compare diets among study participants that awarded higher marks to individuals who consumed more foods considered healthy and fewer foods considered unhealthy. These foods included vegetables, fruits, nuts, and whole grains. Red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages, trans fats, and sodium were unhealthy foods. They recommend that:
Eating at least two to twelve cups of vegetables and fruits daily.
Whole-grain breads, pastas, and cereals (such as barley and oats) instead of refined grains, as well as brown rice instead of white rice.
Fish, poultry, or beans are healthier alternatives to red meat (pork, beef, and lamb), as well as processed meat (bacon, sausage, lunch meat, hot dogs).
Consuming more water and less sugar-sweetened drinks, such as soft drinks, sports drinks, and fruit-flavoured drinks.
Eat fewer refined carbohydrates, such as pastries, candy, sugar-sweetened breakfast cereals, and other foods high in sugar.
Choosing foods that are low in calories, such as French fries, potato chips, ice cream, and doughnuts.
Those who did not smoke, got at least 30 minutes of moderate or vigorous activity (including brisk walking) every day, kept their weight within a range of 18.5 – 24.9, and drank less than 15 grams of alcohol per day for women, and 30 grams for men, also received the highest health scores. This works out to about one drink a day for women and two for men.
