Better health can be achieved through ‘four simple steps’
Making four simple lifestyle changes can boost people’s chances of finding affordable life insurance, according to experts.
Researchers at the Medical Research Council and Cambridge University concluded that individuals who exercise regularly, refrain from smoking, drink moderate alcohol amounts and eat five daily portions of fruit and vegetables can live an average 14 years longer than those who do not.
While previous studies have illustrated how the individual steps can have a beneficial effect on health, the latest research focused on their combined effect.
To assess this, the scientists investigated the diets and lifestyles of 20,000 men and women aged between 45 and 79, with deaths among the participants recorded until 2006.
Writing in the journal PLoS Medicine, the team noted that the results "may provide further support for the idea that even small differences in lifestyle may make a big difference to health in the population and encourage behaviour change".
Cancer Research UK has underlined that making healthy lifestyle choices has a "combined positive effect on health" and can help people live longer, with around half of all cancers potentially prevented by such changes.
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