Healthy living really does pay off

Jul 30, 2009 1:17 PM

If good intentions helped you live longer, I’d live till 100. Much as we all aspire to live healthy lives, the day-to-day temptations of having another cookie, or watching TV instead of going for a run, make it hard.

Also, so many things affect your chances of illness that it’s tempting to give up entirely, and blame ill health on your genes, or just on your luck. So, two new studies, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, come as a timely reminder that the choices you make really do have a big impact on your health.

The first study shows that an amazing 8 in 10 cases of high blood pressure in women could be avoided, if all women lived as healthily as they could. And the second study shows that men can cut in half their lifetime chances of getting heart failure, from 2 in 10 down to 1 in 10, simply by making healthy choices.

What were the health behaviors that mattered? They’re pretty familiar: not smoking, keeping to a healthy weight, exercising regularly, eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and drinking alcohol only in moderation. In addition, women seemed to benefit from taking folic acid supplements. Men seemed healthier if they ate breakfast cereals, perhaps because that meant they weren't eating bacon sandwiches every morning.

The biggest benefit to health in both studies was keeping to a healthy weight. That’s a body mass index, or BMI, of 18.5 to 24.5. You can work out your BMI using our calculator.

What you need to know. Lifestyle choices make a real difference to blood pressure and your risk of heart disease. It’s not complicated, but the trick is to keep making those healthy choices, day after day.

—Anna Sayburn, patient editor, BMJ Group

ConsumerReportsHealth.org has partnered with The BMJ Group (British Medical Journal) to monitor the latest medical research and assess the evidence to help you decide which news you should use.

Find out how vitamin D can help you live longer, see the 10 perks of exercise, and find out how a Mediterranean diet can help you lose weight. Also see our ratings for treating high blood pressure and heart disease.