If there was a magic pill or potion that would guarantee you a long, and more importantly, healthy life would you be interested? Something so powerful that it would significantly increase the length your life and keep you free from horrible degenerative diseases - sounds too good to be true doesn’t it?
Well this thing exists. Yes really………is it a lotion or potion, a magic pill or supplement, the latest super food from the Amazonian rainforest?…..well no.
A research study done by Cardiff University tracked 2.500 men over a 35-year period and has found the answer.
Five simple healthy habits can make a difference:
1. Exercise regularly
2. Stay slim
3. Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables
4. Don’t smoke
5. Drink 3 or fewer units of alcohol a day
That It – incredible!
For the men who followed at least four of these recommendations they saw the following results:
- 60% less likely to have died
- 60% fewer heart attacks
- 60% fewer cases of dementia
- 40% fewer cancers
- 70% fewer cases of diabetes
If a drug could provide those benefits we would all be taking it.
In a world where we are sinking under the burden of rapidly rising health costs it is totally incredible to me that we don’t do more about looking after our own health. The final words of this report states:
"The costs of health services are increasing globally, and are likely to become unsustainable unless members of the public become more fully engaged and take a greater responsibility for their own health. Personal prevention measures, such as we describe, could have a large impact on the costs of healthcare services. Ultimately however, decisions about behaviours lie with the individuals and there is therefore an urgent need to establish a more effective partnership between health services and citizens"
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24349147