People who do not smoke, are not obese, and drink moderately, can expect to live seven years longer than the general population, and spend those extra years in good health, according to the reports. results of a study published in the medical journal Health Affairs.
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute (Germany) and the University of Michigan (United States) conducted a study with 14,000 Americans aged 50 to 89 between 1998 and 2012. They specifically analyzed 3 risk factors pathologies and premature mortality: smoking, obesity and alcohol consumption to understand their impact on health simultaneously.
The researchers defined the low-risk category for those who have never smoked, drank moderately (less than 14 doses per week in men and less than 7 in women), and had a body mass index of less than 30, in other words, those who were of normal weight or were overweight (18.5-29.9 BMI).
A healthy lifestyle for a longer and healthier life
The researchers observed that each of the three behaviors, theobesity, the smoking and the excessive consumption of alcohol, was linked to a reduction in life expectancy and poor quality of life.
But, they noted differences and found that smoking was associated with early death, but not with an increase in the number of years in poor health. On the other hand, obesity increased them. Excessive alcohol consumption has been associated with both a reduced lifespan and a reduced number of healthy years. The years we gain from a healthy lifestyle are the years of good health.
“Improvements in medical technology are often seen as the solution to a healthier and longer life. We have shown that a balanced lifestyle, which costs nothing, is enough to enable people to lead longer lives. and healthy, ”said Mikko Myrskylä, director of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Germany and author of the study.
Men who were not overweight, never smoked, and drank moderately lived an average of 11 years longer than overweight men, who smoked and drank excessively. For women, the gap between these two groups was 12 years.
“Our results show how important it is to focus on prevention. People who avoid behaviors dangerous to health improve their lifespan and the quality of their health,” said the researcher.
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