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Andrew Lawson, M.D. |
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The Secrets of Long Life, National Geographic, November 2005 After studying 3 long living people groups (Sardinians, Adventists, and Okinawans), National Geographic research revealed that they all shared these key habits: 1. don’t smoke 2. Put family first 3. Be active every day 4. Keep socially engaged 5. Eat fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
Top 10 ways to stay alive:
1. Work on your marriage and/or relationships (being in relationship is key to longevity)
2. Don’t worry & don’t be angry, be happy “Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. found that optimistic people had a 50% decreased risk of early death compared with those who leaned more toward pessimism. The results, published in the August 2002 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, make sense: Those with a positive outlook on life are probably less stressed, better equipped to deal with adversity and, consequently, healthier. Optimists also tend to have lower blood pressure than pessimists, which, again, is most likely related to how positive thinkers respond to stress.”
“A study led by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 2002 found that men who were classified as having the highest level of anger in response to stress were over three times more likely to develop premature heart disease when compared to men who reported lower anger responses. Furthermore, they were over six times more likely to have a heart attack by the age of 55. One possible explanation for these dramatic findings is the correlation between anger and high blood pressure, a condition that commonly develops in highly stressed individuals. The lesson here is simple: Try as much as you can to let the unavoidable, everyday stresses roll off your shoulders.”
3. Be good “According to Dr. Howard Friedman, a psychologist at the University of California at Riverside, conscientiousness is related to mortality in a significant way. The Terman Life-Cycle Study, which ran from 1921 to 1991, examined an array of factors like personality, habits, social relations, education, physical activites and cause of death. Conscientiousness does not mean looking both ways before crossing the street; it means looking both ways when the light turns green so you don't accidentally run down some slow-moving pedestrian. Beyond that, a conscientious person's long-living qualities probably have to do with the fact that they are predisposed to constructively reacting to emotional and social situations, and are more likely to create work and living environments that promote good health.”
4. Maintain good fitness & practice good nutrition (maintaing a healthy weight is key to longevity) “Research shows that obesity, for example, contributes to a slew of medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease and various cancers. So powerful are certain lifestyle choices that recommended diets along with maintenance of physical activity and appropriate body mass can, over time, reduce the incidence of cancer by 30% to 40%, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research.”
“Antioxidants, special substances that are found in foods ranging from cinnamon and cloves to blueberries and artichokes, have the ability to scavenge free radicals, compounds whose unstable chemical nature accelerates the effect of aging on our cells. Until these excess free radicals are quenched by antioxidant molecules, cellular damage accumulates. This contributes to an array of degenerative diseases, including atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's and cancer. Research shows that certain types of beans are among the best sources of antioxidants, while blueberries and other berries follow close behind.”
Studies support that the vast majority of people who go on a diet and successfully lose weight will gain it all back and more within 6 months! So dieting is NOT the answer.
5. Sex: It’s good for you! “There's decent evidence that sex helps keep us healthy, and thus increases longevity. But according to researchers, it's not necessarily an actual biological response generated by sex that makes us live longer. What's more likely is that having intimate sex means you are less stressed, happier and better rested--all factors that can lower blood pressure and protect against stroke and heart disease. A study published in the April 2004 Journal of the American Medical Association found that "high ejaculation frequency was related to decreased risk of total prostate cancer.’"
A 10 year cohort study of 918 middle aged men showed that the mortality risk was 50% lower in a group with high orgasmic frequency than in a group with low orgasmic frequency, with evidence of a dose-response relation across the groups. BMJ 1997;315:1641-1644
6. Drive safely and wear a seat belt
7. Sleep 6-7 hours per night “Here's a reason not to hit the snooze button anymore: Sleeping too much can reduce life expectancy, according to a February 2002 study in the Archives of General Psychiatry. The study found that people who sleep more than eight hours per night had a significantly higher death rate than normal. But late-night-party-goers shouldn't rejoice: researches say that sleeping less than four hours also increases death rates. People who sleep between six and seven hours per night were shown to live the longest.”
8. Don’t work so hard
9. Avoid alcohol & don’t smoke “To say that smoking is bad for your health is, of course, not revelatory. But it still cannot be denied that quitting can significantly improve your prospects of living a long life. Middle-aged men who are long-term, heavy smokers face twice the risk of developing more aggressive forms of prostate cancer than men who have never smoked, according to findings from a study that appeared in the July 2003 issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. According to a recent study in the Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, cigarette smoking has been clearly linked to the most common causes of death in the elderly. "Smoking is--for all but some exceptional subjects--incompatible with successful aging and compromises life expectancy even in extreme longevity," the study states.”
10. Get a pet Even if you are not married and are an introvert having a companion is key so get a pet!
“Animal lovers will be happy to know that having a pet can add years to your life, as well. One of the first studies in this arena, which appeared in Public Health Reports in 1980, showed that the survival rates of heart attack victims who had a pet were 28% higher than those of patients who didn't have an animal companion. "The health effects seem to be very real and by no means mystical," says Alan Beck, director of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University. "Contact with companion animals triggers a relaxation response," he says.
Rebecca Johnson, a professor of gerontological nursing at the University of Missouri at Columbia, showed that interaction with pets does, in fact, reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol. The ability of companion pets to reduce our overall stress level probably accounts for most of their life-extending qualities. "For many people, pets also provide a reason to get moving," adds Johnson. How many people, after all, would actually get any exercise if it weren't for their over-enthusiastic dog?”
People who own pets, especially dogs, have been shown to be less stressed and require fewer visits to their physicians than non-owners. Survival rates for heart attack victims who had a pet have been shown to be 12% longer than for those who did not have one, according to one of the first studies dealing with the impact pets can have on our health, led by researcher Erica Friedmann. Pet owners have also been shown to have lower blood pressure. The reasons for these findings are most likely related to an array of psychological factors, such as the facts that owning a pet decreases loneliness and depression, encourages laughter and nurturing, and stimulates exercise.”
(majority of excerpts from: Ten Ways To Live Longer by Vanessa Gisquet) |
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HEALTH |
