LONGEVITY

How to live to 114 (in theory)

Doctors can now tell us which habits may extend our lives - and just how much extra time they give us.

New research shows exactly how many years longer people can live by adopting healthy behaviours - from stopping smoking and losing weight to eating less meat and being positive.

Studies have suggested that dark chocolate is good for the heart and may boost longevity. Research based on Harvard graduates showed that people who eat chocolate lived a year or so longer than those who do not. Those who ate one to three bars a month came out best with a 36 per cent lower risk of premature death. Antioxidants, especially in dark chocolate, may be responsible.

Diets with low levels of meat and vegetarian diets have been linked to lower risk of premature death. A review of research by public health specialists at Loma Linda University in America looked at the life expectancy of those who rarely ate meat and found that sticking to such a diet added 3.6 years to a person's life. The health effect may be due to lower saturated fat intake and higher antioxidant levels as a consequence of eating more fruit and vegetables.

Moderate to high levels of activity can extend life by between 1.3 and 3.7 years. Researchers at Erasmus University in the Netherlands say the main reason is the beneficial effect that physical activity has on the heart. People who take exercise are also less likely to be overweight and more likely to have a better quality of life.

Highly educated women can expect to live more than five years longer than less-educated women, while men with a university degree have an extra 7.8 years, according to a Harvard University study. One explanation is the adoption of healthier lifestyles, and one of the biggest differences was in heart disease rates.

Research at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden shows that golfers live five years longer. The study shows a 40 per cent reduced risk of a premature end. The health benefits of exercise and companionship may be the reason.

Losing weight can add as much as seven years to a person's life. A team at Oxford University showed that people who are obese at the age of 40 died, on average, seven years earlier.

Not smoking adds up to 10 years to life. A team at the University of Helsinki found that those who had never smoked lived an average 10 years longer than those who smoked more than 20 a day. Research on men in New Zealand showed that 50 per cent of smokers die prematurely, and that they die 14 years earlier than non-smokers. Heart disease and cancer are among the biggest killers. The good news for smokers is that it is never too late to give up, According to the US National Institute on Drug Abuse, a 35-year-old man who quits smoking will increase his life expectancy by 5.1 years on average.

According to a Chicago University report, married men live, on average, 10 years longer than non-married men, while married women live about four years longer than non-married women. One theory is that married men adopt less risky and more healthy lifestyles as a result of the commitment that marriage brings. Married women may live longer due to improved financial wellbeing. However, one Swiss study found that being married shortens a woman's life by 1.4 years, possibly because of the stress of living with a man.

Wealthy people live longer than the poor. One of the clearest contrasts was found by Baltimore health officials in the US. In the poor neighbourhoods, the average life expectancy was 63 years, against 83 in wealthy suburbs.

Original article by Roger Dobson
©The Independent News and Media, First published in The Independent, 21/10/08

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Words in the text

longevity

living for a long time

premature

happening too soon

life expectancy

how long you are likely to live

overweight

having more body weight than normal

obese

extremely fat

wellbeing

the state of feeling happy and healthy

Wealthy

A person who is wealthy has a lot of money

neighbourhoods

the area of a town or city where you live

Complete the lifestyle expressions from the text. Click on the gaps to display the answers.

s          ?           to a healthy diet
a          ?           a healthier lifestyle
q          ?           smoking
b          ?           positive
l          ?           weight
t          ?           exercise
g          ?           married

Functions in the text

Explaining and speculating

Look at the following sentences from the text and study how the expressions in bold are used to explain and speculate:

Antioxidants, especially in dark chocolate, may be responsible.
The health effect may be due to lower saturated fat intake and higher antioxidant levels as a consequence of eating more fruit and vegetables.
Researchers at Erasmus University in the Netherlands say the main reason is the beneficial effect that physical activity has on the heart.
One explanation is the adoption of healthier lifestyles, and one of the biggest differences was in heart disease rates.
The health benefits of exercise and companionship may be the reason.
One theory is that married men adopt less risky and more healthy lifestyles as a result of the commitment that marriage brings.
Married women may live longer due to improved financial wellbeing.
However, one Swiss study found that being marriage shortens a woman's life by 1.4 years, possibly because of the stress of living with a man.

Now complete the sentences below using the expressions above:

Research shows that older adults perform better at university than younger adults. O ??  e        ??         that older people tend to have more motivation because they have had to experience life's difficulties.

Road accidents tend to happen more often on Fridays than other days. This m ??  be   ??   to end-of-week tiredness and heavy traffic.

Sharks do not often eat the humans that they attack. One th     ??      that the human body does not provide the high-energy fat that sharks need.

Many people lose their memories when they get older. The loss of "synapses" or connections between brain cells may be r       ??       .

The average sea level around the world is rising. The m  ??   r   ??    is global warming.

Mark's computer has been operating very slowly recently, p     ??      b    ??     of a virus.

Some people are obese despite not eating too much. Genetic factors may be the r   ??   .

James failed his driving test d ??  to poor preparation.

The economy is doing badly this year as a c       ??        of the financial crisis.