Dr. G’s Top 5 Secrets to A Healthier, Longer Life
For decades, the average life expectancy in the US steadily increased.
Around the mid-1900s, you were lucky if you reached 70.
Today, the average is up over 80.
But what good is living longer if you’re sick, tired, and in pain?
Now, researchers have identified 5 keys to living an extra decade without cancer, heart disease, or diabetes.
Here’s what you need to know.
If you’re like me, you want your golden years to be truly golden.
But that doesn’t happen by accident. You have to take active steps to ensure that you not only live longer but that those final years – and decades – of your life are as healthy as possible.
In a study published in BMJ, researchers tracked over 100,000 people for over 20 years, and they found five key factors to staying disease-free:
- Never having smoked
- Eating an overall healthy diet
- Doing 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day
- Keeping your BMI (body mass index) between 18.5-24.9
- Not having more than a glass of wine or a pint of beer daily
My first reaction to reading that list was… duh!
But as obvious as factors like eating right and exercise might be, this study does an excellent job of highlighting just how beneficial they really are.
For women, those following four of five lifestyle factors were free of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes 10 years longer than those who didn’t.
Ten whole years!
Men who followed these factors lived seven years longer without these diseases than those who didn’t.
And for those who did end up getting cancer, heart disease, or diabetes, they had much higher survival rates.
The people who fared the worst – meaning those who had the lowest disease-free life expectancy – were men who smoked 15 cigarettes a day, and obese men and women.
Again, that’s hardly surprising, but it does put things into perspective.
If you’re planning to live a long life, make sure you’re taking the steps to make it as healthy and disease-free as possible.
