Lifestyle factors may affect how long individuals live free of disability

New research published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society indicates that a healthy lifestyle may help reduce the duration of an individual's disabled period near the end of life.

03 sep 2017--In the community-based study of 5248 older adults recruited at an average age of 73 and followed for 25 years, the average number of disabled years was approximately 2.9 for men and 4.5 for women. Multiple lifestyle factors were significantly associated with years of life and years of able life. Greater distances walked and better-quality diet were associated with a relative compression of the disabled period. Obesity was associated with a relative expansion of the disabled period. Smoking was associated with a shorter life and fewer years of able life.
"We discovered that by improving lifestyle, we can postpone death, but even more so, we can postpone disability—in fact, it turns out that we're compressing that disabled end-of-life period to a shorter timeframe," said Dr. Anne Newman, senior author of the study. "This clearly demonstrates the value of investing in a healthy lifestyle."
September is Healthy Aging Month.

More information: Mini E. Jacob et al, Can a Healthy Lifestyle Compress the Disabled Period in Older Adults?, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (2016). DOI: 10.1111/jgs.14314


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Healthy Lifestyle Shown to Greatly Reduce Heart Risks

Following six healthy habits decreases incident hypertension in women, heart failure in men

23 july 2009-- A healthy lifestyle is associated with a significantly reduced risk of hypertension in younger women and of heart failure in older men, according to two studies in the July 22/29 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

In one study, John P. Forman, M.D., of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, analyzed data on 83,882 women ages 27 to 44 who did not have hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes or cancer at baseline. After a 14-year follow-up, they found that the risk of hypertension was significantly lower among women who followed any or all of six modifiable lifestyle and dietary factors. If all women had all six low-risk factors, the researchers calculated that 78 percent of new-onset hypertension could be prevented or at least delayed.

In a second study, Luc Djousse, M.D., of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues analyzed data on 20,900 men (mean age, 53.6 years) who were apparently healthy at baseline. After a mean follow-up of 22.4 years, they found that the risk of heart failure was significantly lower among men who followed four or more of six desirable lifestyle factors than among those who followed none of the factors (10.1 versus 21.2 percent).

"The studies by Forman et al and Djousse et al underscore that healthy lifestyle will help prevent cardiovascular disease and greatly enhance health, which is a compelling reminder that health is the shared responsibility of individuals and communities," states the author of an accompanying editorial.

Abstract - Forman
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Abstract - Djousse
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Editorial