FIVE SIMPLE STEPS TO HELP WOMEN LIVE LONGER

EXERCISE: Singer and actress Jennifer Lopez competing in a triathlon

Wednesday September 17,2008

By Victoria Fletcher, Health Editor

Comment Speech Bubble Have your say(3)

WOMEN have been told they can dramatically reduce their chance of dying early by adopting five simple rules.

The key to a longer life is – don’t smoke, eat healthily, take exercise, drink a glass of wine a day and keep trim.

A new study shows that the more of these good habits women adopt, the lower the risk from diseases such as cancer or heart trouble.

The American researchers quantified just how useful “being good” is for young and middle-aged women. And they have shown the grave consequences for those who ignore their advice and reach for the biscuit tin.

A woman who breaks each of the cardinal rules faces a three-fold increased risk of cancer, an eight-fold increased danger of heart disease and even a four-fold increased risk of dying young from any cause.

QUIT THE HABIT: Smoking significantly ups your risk of an early death

The research also suggests that more than half of all women who die while relatively young could have lived longer if they had just looked after themselves better.

The study, by the Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said: “Avoiding cigarette smoking is of pivotal importance for the prevention of premature death.

Adherence to lifestyle guidelines involving a healthy diet, regular physical activity and weight management was also associated with markedly lower mortality.”

Even moderate changes in lifestyle can have a substantial impact on reducing mortality rates.

Most lifestyle studies have been based on men. But the new one, published online in the British Medical Journal, looked at data on 80,000 women aged between 34 and 59 who were all healthy at the start of the research.

Over the following 24 years almost 9,000 women died – about 4,500 from cancer and 1,790 from heart disease.

The researchers found that being a bit overweight increased the risk of death by18 per cent, but for the obese this rose to 67 per cent.

Those who smoked up to 14 cigarettes a day saw their chance of death rise by 94 per cent, while those smoking above this number had more than a two-fold increase.

Having one or two drinks a day decreased the risk – but more than this saw it increase.

Eating five portions of vegetables, four portions of fruit, one serving of nuts and cereal every day – and red meat less than twice a month – cut the risk of an early death by 35 per cent.

HAVE A DRINK: A daily glass of wine is key to a longer life

Women who did up to two hours exercise a week reduced the risk of dying early by 16 per cent – but this jumped to 23 per cent if they managed between two and 3.5 hours a week.

The authors added: “Even moderate changes in lifestyle can have a substantial impact on reducing mortality rates.”

DO I SAY OOPS?.

20.09.08, 12:26am

Now come on, cocklesandeels, I do not give a fig about Carol. If women were not so fascinated by themselves we could drift into a whole new ballgame. That bunch sometimes convey the impression that love, sex, emotions, sensitivity, real understanding are all the facets of being a woman, that men are just that little bit too far behind to merit respect. I don't know about you mon ami - and sometimes you are, you know, but I could so much more like women if they quit being confrontational and chilled out re "attitude".

• Posted by: bluenote • Report Comment

WISH THEY WOULD MAKE UP THEIR MINDS....

18.09.08, 8:10pm

one minute even a gl**** of red wine is bad for you the next its good.....maybe the reason why the majority of women live shorter lives is because of the stress of HAVING to work, as people need 2 incomes coming in, gone are the days of women wanting to stay at home and raise the kids, and only ONE income was sufficient.....Hey bluenote don't have goes at 'loose women' as Carol especially would take offence to that...Lol

• Posted by: cocklesandeels • Report Comment

AMAZING.

17.09.08, 1:29pm

This information has only been around for decades, and applies to men also. This almost seems to be a sexist and empty comment devised by the "loose women" team.

• Posted by: bluenote • Report Comment