Want To Live An Extra 14 Years?
The high temperature here didn't even hit 38 today. That's cold, peeps (for me at least)!
I overslept this morning. By about 3 hours! Apparently I forgot to turn my alarm clock on last night, although I could've sworn I did. Luckily I have a super laid-back boss who doesn't freak out over stuff like that.
I read an interesting article the other day about a health study that was recently published in the Public Library of Science Medicine journal. The study tracked 20,000 people in the U.K. between 1993 and 2006. The interesting part of the study is that the researchers identified 4 factors that resulted in as much as a 14 year life span difference in the study participants. Study participants were given a score ranging from 0 to 4 based on the results of a questionnaire that subjects filled out at the beginning of the study. One point was awarded for each of the following behaviors: not smoking, regular physical activity, eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, and moderate alcohol intake. A person who received a score of 4 was four times less likely to die than someone who received a score of zero.
The actual behaviors themselves aren't too surprising. I think we all know that we should refrain from smoking, eat fruits and vegetables, and exercise. There have also been many other studies that have suggested that moderate intake of alcohol can actually be healthier than totally avoiding alcohol (although definitions of "moderate" vary, in the U.S. it is defined as no more than 2 drinks per day for men and 1 drink per day for women). To me the striking thing was to see the actual number of years that following these behaviors could add to one's life. Fourteen years sounds like a lot! And that was an average, in some cases it could be more (and yes, in some cases less, but 14 as an average sounds pretty damn good). Also, while many previous studies looked at the impact of these factors on specific illnesses, this study looked at deaths from all causes - cardiovascular disease, cancer, etc. I don't know, for me it was also interesting to see such a huge impact from a relatively simple list of 4 behaviors. It seems like exercise is the hardest of the 4, the rest seem pretty easy (unless you currently smoke and are trying to quit, which might make the non-smoking part the hardest). I mean, eat an apple, take a walk around the block, and drink a beer and you're good to go! OK, that's a bit of an oversimplification but you get the idea.
If you want to read the actual journal article, it's freely available here.
I overslept this morning. By about 3 hours! Apparently I forgot to turn my alarm clock on last night, although I could've sworn I did. Luckily I have a super laid-back boss who doesn't freak out over stuff like that.
I read an interesting article the other day about a health study that was recently published in the Public Library of Science Medicine journal. The study tracked 20,000 people in the U.K. between 1993 and 2006. The interesting part of the study is that the researchers identified 4 factors that resulted in as much as a 14 year life span difference in the study participants. Study participants were given a score ranging from 0 to 4 based on the results of a questionnaire that subjects filled out at the beginning of the study. One point was awarded for each of the following behaviors: not smoking, regular physical activity, eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, and moderate alcohol intake. A person who received a score of 4 was four times less likely to die than someone who received a score of zero.
The actual behaviors themselves aren't too surprising. I think we all know that we should refrain from smoking, eat fruits and vegetables, and exercise. There have also been many other studies that have suggested that moderate intake of alcohol can actually be healthier than totally avoiding alcohol (although definitions of "moderate" vary, in the U.S. it is defined as no more than 2 drinks per day for men and 1 drink per day for women). To me the striking thing was to see the actual number of years that following these behaviors could add to one's life. Fourteen years sounds like a lot! And that was an average, in some cases it could be more (and yes, in some cases less, but 14 as an average sounds pretty damn good). Also, while many previous studies looked at the impact of these factors on specific illnesses, this study looked at deaths from all causes - cardiovascular disease, cancer, etc. I don't know, for me it was also interesting to see such a huge impact from a relatively simple list of 4 behaviors. It seems like exercise is the hardest of the 4, the rest seem pretty easy (unless you currently smoke and are trying to quit, which might make the non-smoking part the hardest). I mean, eat an apple, take a walk around the block, and drink a beer and you're good to go! OK, that's a bit of an oversimplification but you get the idea.
If you want to read the actual journal article, it's freely available here.
posted by JC at 8:43 PM
5 Comments:
Interesting (or not), there's been recent reports that I've skimmed, that now say that even moderate alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer. I'm fairly certain the information was based on women, it would be interesting to find out if the stats include men, who do get breast cancer as well.
jc and kiki-What would be interesting to know, on the breast cancer issue, do women who drink smoke? Or is it drinking in bars? Or is it living with a smoker? (Now banned but still)
Hey have you ever looked at a questionnaire that asks you certain things for instance how many times you floss? I think there are 100 questions. And it calculates how many years you have added or taken away from your habits.
oh yeah, and your watching Miller's Crossing, one of my favorite movies.
Weirdly, of those behaviors the one that's hardest for me is the fruits and veggies thing. Well, specifically the veggies one. I love fruit. But veggies, I struggle with a bit, especially this time of year when there's nothing fresh and local to choose from - it's all trucked in, or canned or frozen. Bleah.
Interesting article though!
k - like they say - it's always somethin'! I'd be interested in reading that one.
pg - I think I have seen that questionnaire. I can't remember where I saw it though.
And I love Miller's Crossing.
D - One easy way to eat more vegetables is to add them in to other things, like pasta or sauces.
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