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Want To Live to a Healthy 85? Stay Trim

14th Nov 2006, 18:56 GMT

One of the largest, longest studies of aging found one more reason to stay trim and active: It could greatly raise your odds of living to at least age 85. In fact, chances of being healthy in old age are better than even for people who at mid-life have normal blood pressure, good grip strength and several other physical characteristics associated with being fit and active. These include normal levels of blood glucose and fats in the blood called triglycerides -- both also associated with avoiding excess calories and eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Other habits long linked with good health and well-being -- avoiding smoking and excess alcohol, and being married -- also improved chances of surviving well into the 80s. The study involved 5,820 Japanese-American men from the Hawaiian island of Oahu, who were followed for up to 40 years, but the researchers said the results likely apply to women and men of other ethnic heritage, too. "There appears to be a lot we can do about modifying our risk and increasing the odds for aging more healthfully," said lead author Dr. Bradley Willcox, a scientist at the Pacific Health Research Institute in Honolulu. "It's good news because it really gives you something to zero in on if we want to be healthy at older age," Willcox said. The results appear in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association. The study shows "that you can still live healthy until age 85 if you live right," said Dr. Carl Lavie, medical director of preventive cardiology at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans. Most factors the researchers identified as contributing to longevity have long been associated with healthy living but the study does a good job of "putting it together in one package" and showing the combined benefits, said Lavie, who was not involved in the...

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