A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found there were four key lifestyle attributes associated with a lowered risk of mortality.
For their study, researchers surveyed 6,229 adults between the ages of 44 and 84. Patients were given a lifestyle score ranging from 0-4, with 4 being the most categorically healthy. In order to assign a lifestyle score, participants were asked four questions about their lifestyle choices. Each person received one point per question, depending on his or her answer. The four questions were:
- Do you follow a Mediterranean-style diet?
- Do you achieve at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week?
- Do you smoke?
- What is your Body-Mass Index? (Index score to earn this lifestyle point was not released)
Only two percent of individuals met all four lifestyle criteria. After being assigned a lifestyle score, each patient underwent a coronary artery calcium screening. A follow up screening was conducted roughly three years later. After analyzing the data, researchers concluded that patients with a higher lifestyle score exhibited a lower likelihood of death across all forms or mortality.
“Everyone knows that healthy lifestyle habits are major factors that protect you from heart disease,” said Dr. Haitham Ahmed, lead researcher for the study. “What we don’t know is which habits are most important and how exactly these habits prevent disease progression along the causal biological pathway over years and years. This is the first study to look at biological progression every step of the way in a single longitudinal fashion.”
The Four Pillars of Health
While there are certainly a variety of ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle, researchers narrowed their focus to four specific categories.
Regular Exercise plays a key role in promoting a healthy lifestyle for numerous reasons. At least 150 minutes of weekly exercise helps burn calories, and it can prevent buildup in your arteries. Clogged arteries can lead to heart disease or stroke.
Non-Smokers have reduced mortality rates because they aren’t subjecting their bodies to all the chemicals inside a cigarette. Smoking increases your likelihood of developing lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer death among men and women in the United States, according to the American Health Association. Lung cancer accounts for more deaths than breast, prostate, colon and pancreatic cancer combined.
A Mediterranean style diet has been linked to a healthier lifestyle because it has been shown to lower blood pressure and bad cholesterol. It has also been linked to a decreased likelihood of heart attack or stroke.
Lower body-mass index was the final pillar that led to a decreased likelihood of mortality. Individuals categorized to have the appropriate BMI are less likely to develop heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.
Researchers once again followed up with patients after a seven-year period. Of note, they found that individuals who had adopted all four healthy behaviors had nearly an 80% lowered risk of death than those who had no healthy lifestyle behaviors.
Finally, as if we didn’t have enough evidence of the dangers of smoking, researchers found that smoking could, in effect, cancel out the benefits of exercise, low BMI, and a healthy diet.
“If you exercised, ate healthily, and maintained normal weight, but smoked, you still were worse off than people who did nothing else right but stayed away from cigarettes,” said Dr. Ahmed. “This really highlighted how important it is to stay away from smoking. It is probably singlehandedly the best thing you can do for your cardiovascular and overall health.”
Related source: Medscape
