Did at least one of your parents live into their 70s or 80s? If you answered “yes”, it’s good news for your own health forecast.
A recent 8-year study of 186,000 middle aged adults revealed the risk of death from heart disease was 20 per cent lower for each decade past 70 that at least one parent survived, according to a report in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The study, conducted at the University of Exeter Medical School in England, also took into account smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, ethnicity, education and obesity in the offspring. Adults with parents who lived longer into old age had significantly lower rates of coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, hypertension, high cholesterol, atrial fibrillation and peripheral vascular disease.
The take-away from all this data? If your parent or parents did not enjoy a longer life, all the more reason to make lifestyle changes to better your own odds of longevity. By not smoking, getting regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight and eating a good diet, middle aged adults can still increase their chances of living longer and in better health.
To read the full study visit the online JACC by following this link.
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