Cardiologist sets out how to lengthen life
Friday 21st October 2011
Making simple lifestyle changes could add more than a decade onto the average lifespan, according to a cardiologist.
Dr Clyde Yancy is to deliver a lecture to the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress in Vancouver this Sunday, suggesting that seven simple steps could lead to a much longer life.
"Achieving these seven simple lifestyle factors gives people a 90 per cent chance of living to the age of 90 or 100, free of not only heart disease and stroke but from a number of other chronic illnesses including cancer," he says.
"By following these steps, we can compress life-threatening disease into the final stages of life and maintain quality of life for the longest possible time."
A sedentary lifestyle can cut life expectancy by almost four years, the expert notes, and living an active lifestyle could cut the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Cholesterol levels must be monitored and controlled, continued Dr Yancy, as a build up on this also increases heart disease and stroke risk.
A healthy diet is instrumental to living longer, he adds, while knowing and controlling blood pressure could cut stroke risk by up to 40 per cent and risk of heart attack by a quarter.
Being overweight or obese causes a number of health problems, and has a particular impact on cardiovascular health. Obesity can cut life span by almost four years, he notes, suggesting that maintaining a healthy weight is essential for a longer life.
Managing diabetes is another vital aspect of living longer, as the condition increases the risk of high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease and stroke.
Smoking is another habit which can drastically alter life expectancy, meaning that kicking the habit drastically cuts heart disease and stroke risk.
In other news, a study published in the American Journal of Cardiology has revealed that increasing the levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL), or 'good cholesterol', cuts the risk of cardiovascular conditions.
Written by James Puckle
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