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Your Health:
15 Ways To Live Longer
Vanessa Gisquet and Susan Yara
05.01.06, 12:30 AM ET
It's been said that a man dies simply because he doesn't
know how to live longer. Well, thank goodness for progress.
People are living longer these days. According to the
Centers for Disease Control, in 1920 the average life
expectancy was 54. Today, people can expect to live to 78.
Feel free to speculate about why--better food supply, better
medical care, better hygiene or any number of other factors.
It's not totally clear to scientists how they all add up.
But what we do know is that studies are finding genetics
don't tell the whole story when it comes to which diseases
will likely kill us.
"There's a saying that genetics load the gun, but it's the
environment that pulls the trigger," says Dr. David Fein,
medical director at the Princeton Longevity Center, a clinic
in Princeton, N.J., which focuses on quality of life and
prolonging it. "You can have the gene for a certain disease,
but it doesn't mean you're going to get it."
Take heed: Your lifestyle choices are very significant.
While there is no way to ultimately defy death, that isn't
an excuse to start indulging in vices and neglecting your
health. There are plenty of ways to keep the grim reaper at
bay--and many of these "secrets" result in an improved
quality of life.
If you really want to live longer, then start with your
attitude. Your way of thinking not only improves your
outlook on life, but also how long you actually live. In
2002, researchers at the Mayo Clinic in
Rochester, Minn., found that optimistic people decreased
their risk of early death by 50% compared with those who
leaned more toward pessimism.
"The exact mechanism of how personality acts as a risk
factor for early death or poorer health is unclear," says
Dr. Toshihiko Maruta, the main investigator
in the study. Most likely, it has to do with the fact that
pessimists have an increased chance for future problems with
their physical health, career achievements and emotional
stress--particularly depression. "Yet another possibility
could be more directly biological, like changes in the
immune system," Maruta adds.
Besides looking through rosier-colored glasses, there other
personality traits that can help us live longer, healthier
lives. According to Dr. Howard Friedman, a
psychologist at the University of California, 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 activities and cause
of death.
"Those low on adult conscientiousness died sooner," Friedman
concluded. 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 a
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.
There are also more traditional practices that the aspiring
centenarian can take. People should stop smoking, eat a
balanced diet and maintain a healthy weight. While these may
sound "nanny-ish," they are factors that cannot be
overlooked. This might not sound like much fun, but it's a
lot more fun than being dead.
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.
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,
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 overenthusiastic dogs?
To many people, quality of life is equally as important as
life span. It is a good thing, then, that many of the
factors that can improve your longevity can also improve
your quality of life. After all, who really wants to live
forever when they can have a life that ended perfectly? |