London: A new research has observed that there are simple five lifestyle rules that add years to one’s life.
Research conducted over 35 years found that regular exercise, sensible eating, maintaining a healthy weight, minimal alcohol consumption and no smoking that guarantee longevity.
GP Ian Campbell said that it was not just a wake-up call but a loud cannon across the bows for individuals and NHS decision makers.
Campbell asserted that the principal components of a healthy, long life may seem obvious and should definitely be encouraged but in an age of technology and breathtaking medical advances we have lost sight of the much more obvious and simpler fact that a healthy, active lifestyle was more powerful than any drug in preventing ill health and increasing life expectancy.
Researchers slashed the risk of developing diabetes by 70%. Heart attack, stroke and dementia were reduced by 60%, while instances of cancer fell by 40%. Most tellingly, those who neglected to take responsibility for their health experienced no benefit at all.
Professor Peter Elwood, who led the research, said that thirty years ago only 30 men in their study followed all five of their recommended healthy steps. The men who, despite living healthily, developed a disease did so at a much older age than the men neglectful of their lifestyle.