Good lifestyle is a phrase that recurs often in speeches healthful. But no one takes responsibility to define what is a good way of life, if not doing it for great lines, relying on just common sense. A recent statistic says that about two-thirds of believe they follow a good lifestyle, but they are also convinced that only a minority of the population living in a health-conscious call valid.
By cross-referencing these data one cannot arrive at a conclusion that: everyone pulls water to his mill, and defines good ” his ” lifestyle, absolving from many venial peccadilloes that then just do not. It turns out that smoking 7-8 cigarettes a day, drinking half a liter of wine per meal, do not do physical activity on vacation, have 5-6 kg overweight are not considered as negative factors for health.
Based on the data collected from the scientific literature is not possible to obtain a definition of ” good lifestyle ” very precise and especially useful to show how often it makes sense to err and believe that his is ” the best of all possible worlds ” with respect to our health. As a basis for the search for the definition, we use the 2002 report of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Risk factor | Loss years |
Smoke | 12.2 |
Hypertension | 10.9 |
Alcohol | 9.2 |
Hypercholesterolemia | 7.6 |
Overweight | 7.4 |
Reduced consumption of fruit and vegetables | 3.9 |
Sedentary | 3.3 |
The table refers to the industrialized countries and has been reduced to the factors that are greater than 2 years of loss (loss less data are not important) ..
IMPORTANT – You must know how to read the table in a statistically correct. The various factors, with an impressive work from the point of view of the analysis of the data, were uncorrelated. This means that the relative value of a factor is what you would get if the subject had not that risk factor. In other words, if a person has no other negative factors, the X factor as it affects?
For example, if a person does not smoke, does not drink, does not have high blood pressure, cholesterol has in place, there is sedentary, is overweight but eat few fruits and vegetables, realistically or has a bad relationship with food, or if him good, eat a little because even for a non-sedentary eat plenty of fruits, and vegetables is the only way to eat something filling without getting fat. Eating poorly will definitely unbalance diet and then lose years.
In reality, it is very difficult for those who smoke 30 cigarettes per day has a high blood pressure (hypertension), or who has the bad cholesterol in the standard. In other words :
The various risk factors synergize each other.
Consider a subject (think for a moment, and you will surely find an acquaintance who fits the description) that:
- Smokes 30 cigarettes a day.
- Has a high blood pressure (for example 170/100).
- Drinking over the threshold ethanolic (for example, the equivalent of 1 liter of wine per day).
- Has high bad cholesterol and lower the good (values for example 270-30).
- Overweight (for example of 15 kg). is sedentary.
Total : 50.6 Years lost.
This figure may seem unrealistic, but it is not if you think that our would-be suicide most likely has an average life of 50 years (between cardiovascular events, cancer, stroke, diabetes, etc..). In other words, he could live up to 100 years. This conclusion is in line with the fact that the average life of the Western population is 80 years, while living the most health-conscious in a non-call acceptable.
We try to reduce the vices of our subject and verify the loss of those who :
- Does not smoke.
- Pressure has a ” normal ” (150/90, 150 should be considered a high pressure anyway).
- Drink two glasses of wine per meal and a drink in the evening (the equivalent of a liter of wine per day).
- Has high bad cholesterol and lower the good (270-30).
- Overweight (10 kg).
- Sedentary.
Total: 27.5 Years lost.
It’s the classic subject that will leave this vale of tears around 70 years. Let’s even better. Consider a subject that last.
- Does not smoke.
- Has a pressure ” normal ” (150/80).
- Does not drink or drinks occasionally.
- Cholesterol was normal.
- Overweight (10 kg).
- Sedentary.
For many, the subject has a healthy lifestyle, being overweight ” for the ages “. Too bad I’ve lost 10.7 years of life anyway. It’s the classic person who died around 80 years, having spent the last 10-15 years of his life ” to be old ” with various ailments. These data should make us reflect on the importance of risk factors, but it still does not solve the problem of defining a good lifestyle. Some factors (such as hypertension or hypercholesterolemia) do not relate to the subject’s behavior and a small part of the population (do not immediately think to be among them!) is still genetically predisposed.
It is also important to note that the psychological aspect is of fundamental importance not so much on life as on many diseases which, if not fatal, some are existentially disabling. Unfortunately, the psychological aspect is not quantifiable as the previous risk factors, its assessment is left to the subject.
The good lifestyle.
The subject has a good style of life itself.
- Does not smoke.
- Usually does not drink alcohol.
- Does not use drugs and / or illegal substances.
- Not overweight.
- Not sedentary.
- Has a varied and balanced diet.
- Performs periodic checks about prevention.
- You will not feel stressed.
- You will not feel depressed.
- You will not feel anxious.