None of us want to look and seem older than we really are. How many times have you said this about someone? “They’re only (age)? Gee, they look much older.” It could be because of four common bad habits combined, according to new research.
- Smoking
- Drinking too much
- Inactivity
- Poor diet
The 20 year British study should give us another kick in the pants to adopt a healthier lifestyle. An AP story gives more info on the study:
The risky behaviors were: smoking tobacco; downing more than three alcoholic drinks per day for men and more than two daily for women; getting less than two hours of physical activity per week; and eating fruits and vegetables fewer than three times daily.
These habits combined substantially increased the risk of death and made people who engaged in them seem 12 years older than people in the healthiest group, said lead researcher Elisabeth Kvaavik of the University of Oslo.
The AP story quotes June Stevens, a University of North Carolina public health researcher:
The findings don’t mean that everyone who maintains a healthy lifestyle will live longer than those who don’t, but it will increase the odds, Stevens said.
We’d all love to hear someone say this about us: “You’re (age)? Gee, you sure don’t look that old!” Now we know of 4 things NOT to do to help make that happen.
The study appears in Archives of Internal Medicine
Wow, I hate to be the first one to comment on this—but I agree 100% ! It’s a no brainer. No drinking, no smoking, good healthy diet, and hopefully some exercise—-even when you’re over 80! Dad is almost 90! Your grandma was over 100 ! Mark, you’ve got longevity in your genes, but those with those genes did all of the above. Maybe that’s the reason!