A British study conducted by researchers at the University of Cambridge and the Medical Research Council, and appearing in the journal The Public Library of Science Medicine, has pinpointed four lifestyle behaviors, which when combined, results in an average life span of 14 additional years over individuals who follow none of the four behaviors.
The four "healthy lifestyle" behaviors are the following:
- not smoking
- physical activity
- moderate alcohol consumption, and
- eating five servings of fruit or vegetables a day
The study also determined that subjects with a zero score had the same risk of death as a subject with a score of four, but 14 years older.
Among the specific factors, smoking had the biggest single impact on people's health, with smokers 77% more likely to have died during the study. Subjects with moderate alcohol consumption demonstrated a 26% improved chance of survival, those physically active a 24% improved chance, and those who consumed the study's standard for fruit and vegetables, a 44% better chance of being alive by the end of the study.
These factors have been the subject of research on individual bases in the past, but there has been little combined research into the cumulative effect of the four lifestyle behaviors.
While the researchers concede that similar studies evaluating other populations and factoring in other variables would be required before any broad conclusions could be drawn, their findings suggest that engaging in these behaviors could result in improved health and longer life.
This study was part of the 10 country European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), the most ambitious study of diet and health ever conducted,
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