Four secrets to long life
The secret to long life has enamoured people since the dawn of time. Adventurers sought the Fountain of Life and alchemists tried to concoct the philosopher's stone. The secret, however, may be closer at hand than previously thought. Researchers in the European Union have found that the secrets to a long and healthy life may already be at our fingertips. Adopting four simple strategies may add an additional 14 years to our lifespan. One of the foremost priorities of countries around the world is the health and safety of its citizens. The Member States of the EU are no different. For this reason, the EU funded one of the largest concerted efforts to research the health and dietary habits of citizens from across Europe. The results of this intensive study are just coming in, and initial results are raising eyebrows. They show that people who adopt four simple healthy behaviours live on average an additional 14 years of life compared with people who adopt none of these behaviours. These habits are: not smoking; taking exercise; moderate alcohol intake; and eating five servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Data already exist on how smoking, diet and physical activity influence health and longevity, but there is little information about their combined impact. Varying definitions of health behaviour used in studies often make them confusing for public health professionals and for the general public. For example, small amounts of alcohol appear to be related to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, but what it is not clear is what the overall impact on longevity is. This research, which formed part of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), was conducted across 10 European countries and involved over half a million people, forming a sizable base for research. EPIC is coordinated by Dr Elio Riboli, who is Chief of the Nutrition and Hormones Group at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC, which is part of the World Health Organization) in Lyon, France. Meanwhile, EPIC has also received substantial financial support from the 'Europe against Cancer' programme of the European Commission. At this stage, results of the study need to be confirmed in other populations and an analysis of how the combined health behaviours affect quality of life is also needed. Nevertheless, the results of the study strongly suggest that these four achievable lifestyle changes could have a marked improvement on the health of middle-aged and older people, which is particularly important given the ageing population in most European countries.