Physical ageing is inevitable, but how we live our lives has a big impact on just how quickly – or slowly – this happens. Making a few simple lifestyle changes could be all it takes to keep your body and brain younger.
While we are not programmed to live a certain number of years or age in a specific way, genes do still play a role in the ageing process, albeit a fairly small one. Studies of families, and especially twins, suggest genetic make-up accounts for only around 25 per cent of lifespan. Our genes give an indication of how long we could live, but how we fare in the ageing game is largely determined by the way we lead our lives. Here are the top 10 lifestyle changes to help you stay healthy and slow down the ageing process, potentially adding years of life.
75%
of human lifespan is attributable to lifestyle and environment.
Changing habits, changing outcomes
The importance of lifestyle over genetics is clear when you look at residents of Okinawa in Japan, an island famous for its high number of centenarians. Recent generations who’ve swapped traditional habits for a more Western way of life are not living as long as previously. Studies also show when Okinawans leave the island and adopt the eating habits of their host countries, they succumb to the same health problems as their adopted nation.
ADOPT A HEALTHY DIET
What we eat can have a major impact on our health. Poor diets are a risk factor for many chronic diseases, including cancer, obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and dementia. While all these conditions become more likely as we get older due to the natural ageing process, unhealthy eating habits can accelerate their progression. According to one large global study, a poor diet was found to be the highest risk factor for premature death. Fortunately, making some simple dietary changes can dramatically increase your life expectancy.
STAY A HEALTHY WEIGHT
Weighing too much kills an estimated 3.4 million adults worldwide. In one study, people who were obese at the age of 40 shortened their lives by 6.5 years. Excess weight raises blood pressure and cholesterol, which increases risk of heart disease and stroke. It also leaves us more prone to developing type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, asthma, osteoarthritis, liver and kidney disease, sleep apnoea, and depression. Obesity is the second biggest preventable cause of cancer, according to the World Health Organization.
GET ACTIVE
According to a major study, inactivity is responsible for almost one in ten early deaths. Exercise benefits every part of the body: it strengthens the heart, lungs, bones, joints, muscles, and immune system; it lowers the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, and bowel cancer; it releases mood-boosting endorphins, helping to ease or prevent stress and depression; it helps keep our weight steady; it improves sleep; and it helps us stay flexible and maintain good posture and balance, so that we can continue with everyday activities as we age and reduce the risk of falls.
KEEP SHARP
In the same way that the body loses strength and vitality if we don’t exercise it, so, too, does the brain. Encouraging an active mind is shown to slow the decline in mental ability as the years advance. One study found 70- and 80-year-olds who stayed mentally active by reading, playing games, and doing crafts were up to half as likely to suffer with memory loss as those who didn’t do such activities. The benefits don’t just start in later life, either. The same study found people who in midlife enjoyed reading and had active social lives, had a 40 per cent reduced risk of memory loss when they were older.
DEAL WITH STRESS
Chronic stress is a cause of wrinkles and can lead to unhealthy habits, such as poor diet, drinking too much alcohol, and smoking. Stress can upset the digestive system and affects how well we sleep. It lowers immunity, making us more prone to infections. It increases blood pressure and the risk of heart disease and stroke. It destroys cells in an area of the brain responsible for memory – indeed, studies show a link between stress and Alzheimer’s. Recent studies suggest stress even shortens the length of our telomeres, potentially speeding up the ageing process.
BE HAPPY
According to a five-year study of adults aged 52 to 79 years, those who reported feeling happy on a typical day were 35 per cent less likely to die during this time. Other studies show happier people suffer with fewer wrinkles, aches, pains, and health problems, and have lower heart rates and blood pressure, less heart disease, and stronger immune systems. Making positive connections with other people is a great way to stay happy. One review found people with good social relationships had a 50 per cent lower risk of dying than those who were more isolated.
GET ENOUGH SLEEP
Lack of sleep – or poor quality sleep – has been linked to many diseases, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. It may reduce the body’s immunity – one study found people who had less than seven hours sleep a night were three times more likely to develop a cold than those who had more than eight. Sleep deprivation can also wreak havoc with mood, concentration, mental ability, and memory, and it may be a factor in depression. It can lead to poor eating habits and weight gain, and leave a person too tired to exercise.
STAY SAFE IN THE SUN
A little sunlight is good for us – it creates vitamin D in our body, vital for muscle function, bone health, and immunity. But too much sun can age us, fast. One study found the sun’s UV rays caused 80 per cent of wrinkles, skin pigmentation, and discoloration, with the effects more apparent as we age. The sun’s UV rays are also linked to all forms of skin cancer – a study found 86 per cent of malignant melanomas in the UK were caused by sunlight. To stay safe, avoid getting burnt, use sunscreen, and keep out of the sun in the hottest part of the day.
REDUCE ALCOHOL
Regularly drinking too much alcohol hastens the ageing process. Externally, the skin suffers with redness, puffiness, and premature wrinkles. Internally, excessive alcohol increases the risk of liver disease, cirrhosis, pancreatitis, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, seven types of cancer, osteoporosis, dementia, and depression. Alcoholic drinks are high in calories and excessive drinking can cause unwanted weight gain, while draining the body of nutrients. Alcohol can also have a detrimental effect on the quality of sleep.
AVOID SMOKING
Smoking is is one of the biggest causes of visible ageing, estimated to age skin prematurely by up to 20 years. And it’s not just looks that suffer. Smoking kills around seven million people every year and is the single most preventable cause of death worldwide. Smokers are more likely to have health problems that shorten life, including asthma, emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, osteoporosis, dementia, and cancer. And it’s not just lung cancer – smoking increases the risk of leukaemia and many other cancers.
