All About Healthy

Living a Healthy Life Adds Years

If you aren’t living a healthy life; i.e. you smoke, have high blood pressure, high blood sugar and are overweight you might just be shortening how long you live by an average of 4 years. The numbers are sobering… men cut their lives by as much as 4.9 years, while women take 4.1 years from their lifespan.

There’s even greater variability in the effect of these factors on life expectancy across the U.S. based on where you live, how much money you make or what race you belong to.

Interestingly, these four risk factors are ultimately under our control. While your genetics and age are things you can’t do anything about, whether you smoke and how you manage your weight are under your direct control. What’s more, blood pressure and blood sugar can be controlled by lifestyle choices you make, only if they’re at abnormally high levels is medication needed.

According to the research, these risk factors account for a large part of the difference in life expectancy. One example, Southern rural blacks saw life expectancy fall by 6.7 years among men and 5.7 years among women. Asians saw the smallest reduction in life expectancy, only 4.1 years for men; 3.6 years for women. Asian Americans also had the lowest body mass index, the lowest blood sugar levels and were least likely to be smokers.

The highest blood pressure was in blacks, the lowest in whites. When it came to the highest BMI, this dubious distinction was awarded to two groups, white Western Native American men and Southern low-income rural black women. Those who smoked heaviest were Western Native Americans and low income whites who lived in the Appalachia and Mississippi Valley.

Smoking, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and being overweight or obese make for almost 20% of differences in life expectancy across America according to researchers. The four risk factors account for a 75% in differences in cardiovascular deaths, up to a 50% in differences in cancer deaths.

Researchers believe that we need to target public health efforts toward the groups who are most at risk.

Based on this data examined, the researchers could estimate the number of deaths that might have been prevented if the risk factors were at an optimal number. They looked also at how these optimal levels would improve life expectancy.

In addition, the team then estimated these factors for subgroups in the United States known as the “Eight Americas.” If this is the first you’re hearing these groups, they were defined earlier by the authors as…

1. Asians

2. Northland low-income rural whites

3. Middle America

4. Low-income whites in Appalachia and Mississippi Valley

5. Western Native Americans

6. Black middle America

7. High-risk urban blacks

8. Southern low-income rural blacks

According to the report, if the four risk factors were kept at optimal levels, the increased life expectancy would be:

- Not smoking: 2.5 years for men, 1.8 years for women

- Optimal Blood pressure: 1.5 years for men, 1.6 years for women

- Optimal Blood sugar: 0.5 years for men, 0.3 years for women

- No Obesity: 1.3 years for men, 1.3 years for women

The message is clear about what you need to do to live longer. Stop smoking. Keep your body weight healthy, your blood pressure down and blood sugar levels low. In short living a healthy life adds years. Now it’s up to you.

By Kirsten Whittaker

One of the longest living people in the world is the Japanese. Numbers vary each year and many factors can make statistics quite volatile, but the United Nations had Japan at number one in life expectancy at birth at the ripe old age of 82.6 for its overall population in the years 2005-2010. The CIA World Factbook ranked Japan at number three (after Macau and Andorra) at a slightly lower number of 82.12 in 2009. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that the islands of Okinawa in Japan boast 50 centenarians per 100,000 people – possibly the highest number in the world. Not only do the Okinawans enjoy long life, they also are among the healthiest people in the world with remarkably low rates of cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Studies on longevity of the Okinawans have revealed a few factors that contribute to such a long and healthy life.

1. A positive outlook towards life – Research has shown that positive thinking adds years to your life. When you actually look forward to aging and living life to the fullest, you tend to have less stress and worries. Okinawans are cheerful, energetic people who maintain an active social life way beyond 70 or 80 years of age.

2. Exercise – It is not a rare sight in Japan to see an elderly out manually working in their farms, fields or gardens. Japanese elderly, Okinawans included, tend to keep themselves busy and stay in good shape with various physical activities such as gateball (a croquet-like game enjoyed by the elderly in Japan), traditional Japanese dances, and martial arts.

3. Genetics – This is the one factor that there is not much one can do anything about. However, the fact remains that if you come from a family with long lives, chances are you yourself will have a long life.

4. Diet – Perhaps the most important reason for longevity in Okinawa is their diet. Okinawans eat a lot of fish, fresh vegetables, soy and legumes and seaweed. Fish is rich in omega-3 and helps reduce cholesterol, which can cause cardiovascular diseases. Vegetables, especially leafy greens, are excellent sources of vitamins and folate that have cancer-fighting properties. Soy products are low-caloric food that is rich in calcium, a food source that contributes to low rates of osteoporosis and natural menopause with far fewer complications such as hot flashes among women.

Most of the things listed above can easily be emulated by anyone who wants to live a long, healthy life. Some lifestyle changes will have to be made, but it is absolutely doable. A long, healthy life awaits.

By Jane J Simmons