A healthy and active lifestyle is part of the habits to live another 10 years in good health without the burden of cardiovascular disease or cancer. Women in particular can gain up to ten years – and men seven – of living free of cancer, heart problems and type 2 diabetes thanks to a healthy lifestyle.
This is suggested by an American study published in “Bmj”. To do this, researchers say, all you need to do is exercise regularly, drink in moderation, maintain a healthy weight, stick to the right diet, and don’t smoke.
The US research is based on data from 111,000 people who were tracked for more than 20 years. The study’s lead author, Frank Hu, of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, said the study “sends a positive message to the public.
You not only gain more years of life, but also good years thanks to better decisions. At age 50, participants were asked if they met at least four of the following five criteria:
Never smokeEat a healthy, balanced dietGet 30 minutes of moderate or vigorous exercise each dayHave a body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9Drink no more than one glass of wine per day for women and a pint of beer for men.
Well, women who reported meeting four of the five criteria lived an average of 34 years without cancer, without cardiovascular disease (like heart attack or stroke), and without type 2 diabetes, which is 10 years longer than their partner.
Healthy lifestyles allowed men to live an additional 31 years without disease, seven more than their partner.
Not only that. The healthiest men and women in the study had never smoked before. And while women seem to have an advantage (but also have a longer life expectancy), certain elements work well for both sexes: A healthy lifestyle not only lowers your risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, it improves them too chances of survival one of these diseases is diagnosed.
* Presse Santé strives to convey health knowledge in a language accessible to all. In NO CASE can the information given replace the advice of a doctor.
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