You must read and accept the disclaimer to use this site. Updated for monthly, 2011

LIFESTYLE

While nutrition is a very important factor in good health, with the potential to increase or decrease risk of short and long-term illness by 50% or more, numerous other factors are clearly established to be important to good health. Below are some of the important risk factors, based on reading by the site author. These are steps you can take to maintain or improve your health, and nutritional factors related to these steps.

Ways to Stay Healthy

1. Think positive thoughts - a scientific field called psychoneuroimmunology has demonstrated how your thoughts (psycho) influence your brain (neuro) which influences your immune system (immuno). In one study, mice were trained to produce white blood cells in response to the ringing of a bell. Thus, it is possible to dramatically affect your chances of getting sick, of recovering from serious illness, or of dying by your thoughts positive or negative. People who are "socially active", who have friends or engage in civic or club activities, have lower rates of Alzheimer's and other age-associated diseases.

2. Get the immunizations you should have

3. Exercise regularly

a. What kind of exercise to get

i. three times a week for 20 minutes for cardiovascular health; note that it is not necessary for the exercise to be continuous

ii. some weight training to maintain muscles, balance

iii. some stretching to maintain flexibility

b. Benefits of regular exercise

i. Reduces risk of osteoporosis

ii. Reduces risk of heart disease - people who exercise regularly reduce the risk of heart disease by 50%

iii. Reduces risk of arthritis

iv. Improves the ability to sleep soundly

v. Helps maintain weight

4. Eat a well-balanced, low-fat, varied diet

a. In the Nurses' Health Study of 80,000 women, a 5% increase in saturated fat (primarily found in meat fat, lard, and dairy fats) in the diet was associated with a 17% increased risk of heart disease.

b. In the Nurses' Health Study, a 2% increase in trans fats (primarily found in vegetable shortening and margarine) increased heart disease risk 93%.

c. In the Nurses' Health Study, a 5% increase in polyunsaturated fats (primarily found in plant and fish oils) decreased heart disease risk 19%.

5. Maintain a healthy weight

a. The ideal body weight is a body mass index (BMI) around 21, where BMI = [(weight in pounds) x 700] / [(height in inches) x (height in inches)]. With a BWI between 19 and 25, weight related health risks are negligible.

b. Although lower body weight leads to a lower chance of dying, most fad diets do not work and are more dangerous than being overweight. (For instance, a friend tried the all-meat diet, lost a few pounds but then gained many more, and his physician stated that developed severe liver damage as a result of the all-meat diet.)

c. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn, as muscle requires more energy to maintain than fat. Staying in shape may be the best way to lose weight sustainably.

6. Minimize the stress in your life

a. Health problems with stress include physical and mental disorders

7. Do not smoke, do not inhale second-hand smoke

a. Each cigarette costs you 5 1/2 minutes of life on average.

b. Up to age 65, people who smoke a pack a day die at almost twice the rate of non- smokers

c. A pack a day increases lung cancer 14 fold; heart attack risk 2 fold; principal cause of emphysema and bronchitis; causes high blood pressure

8. Avoid drugs

9. Avoid excess alcohol - How much is excess?

a. One drink of red wine daily may decrease risk of heart disease

b. 2 to 3 drinks of red wine daily may decrease risk of heart disease more. DETAILS ABOUT ALCOHOL.

10. Wear your seatbelt - accidents are the fourth most common cause of death. Motor vehicle accidents, fires and burns, and drowning are the main causes, until over age 74 when falls, fires and burns, and suffocation predominate.

Selected references

Harvard Women's Health Watch, April 1998 "Exercise: A Few Walks Will Do You" "Among 434 same-sex twin pairs, the risk of death was 56% lower for those who exercised for at least 30 minutes six or more times monthly"...Centers for Disease Control recommends "people should do moderate exercise for at least 30 minutes most days of the week. Yet, a couple of brisk walks each week may have a pronounced effect on longevity"

Voorrips, LE, et al, "Are physically active elderly women in a better nutritional condition than their sedentary peers?", Eur J Clin Nutr 45: 545-552 (1991) "assessed in two groups of women aged 60-79 years" "Blood levels [of nutrients] did not differ significantly between both groups of women except for higher beta-carotene in the active women"