Healthy living: Does it work? Or, Does Heredity Control Your Future?
The scientific evidence currently existing that supports the conclusion that healthy living through prevention
and the holistic medicine of natural health does indeed
work in some areas of health and wellness
is very suggestive of a strong benefit. But, these healthy living research studies are too numerous to ever list them all.
A recent editorial in JAMA[Rimm,
2004], however, did a great job of recapping the existing evidence to date on the wellness benefits of healthy living.
Prior studies have shown that "increases in chronic disease rates among migrants from traditional to Westernized
cultures demonstrate that relatively swift changes in disease rates cannot be attributed solely to genetic differences
between populations. Instead, they are likely due to differences in lifestyle, with dietary
factors and physical activity the leading candidates."
But does healthy living, changes in diet, and other lifestyle factors work even in the elderly? A recent JAMA study[Knoops, 2004] showed "that in European men and women aged 70 through
90 years adherence to a Mediterranean diet pattern, moderate alcohol consumption, nonsmoking status, and physical
activity each were associated with a lower rate of all-cause mortality. Taken together, the combination was associated
with a mortality rate of about one third that of those with none or only one of these protective factors. ... In
this European study, only participants who remained free of chronic disease into their 70s and 80s were included
for analysis. Even in this highly selected population, adherence to a healthful
lifestyle prolonged life."
"Although the results may seem simply too good to be true, given the 20-fold or more differences in coronary
rates across countries, such results for dietary
change are entirely plausible."
A recent article
in USA Today likewise commented on the health benefits of healthy living:
"Mortality rates were 65% lower among elderly people who combined a so-called Mediterranean
diet with 30 minutes of daily exercise, moderate drinking and no tobacco use.
Although experts say there is no single Mediterranean diet, doctors say cuisines from these regions favor olive
oil rather than butter and include lots of legumes, nuts, seeds, [whole-]grains,
fish, vegetables and potatoes but little meat and dairy.
The study was conducted from 1988 to 2000 and led by researchers at Wageningen University in the Netherlands
and other European universities. More than 2,300 healthy people ages 70 to 90 answered questions about their eating
habits and activities. Researchers noted that the study suggests a strong association between healthy habits and
longer life but offers no proof."[Szabo, 2004]
The same editorial in JAMA[Rimm, 2004] said that in another recent JAMA study[Esposito, 2004] a change in diet enabled real people to recover from
Syndrome-X. Patients suffering from Syndrome-X were subjected to a "Mediterranean-style diet" that was
compared to a "cardiac-prudent diet with fat intake less than 30%".
"Physical activity increased equally in both groups. After 2 years, body weight decreased more in the [Mediterranean-style
diet] intervention group than in the control group, but even after controlling for weight loss, inflammatory markers
and insulin resistance declined more in the intervention than in the control group, while endothelial function
improved. Only 40 patients in the intervention group [out of the 90 who started the study] still had metabolic
syndrome [i.e., Syndrome-X] after 2 years compared with 78 [out of 90] patients on the control diet. These results
suggest a plausible mechanism for the beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet."
"Growing evidence supports an independent link between these sedentary behaviors and risk of obesity, chronic
disease, and mortality."
In conclusion: "Although understanding of the relation of lifestyle and health outcomes will continue to
be refined, information available now is sufficient to take action. Knoop et al have identified a simple set of
lifestyle practices that can reduce the mortality rate among elderly individuals by nearly two thirds."
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Healthy living is all about what you eat, drink, and your level of physical activity. And, whether you regularly engage in behaviors that are well known to be bad for your health and wellness, such as smoking.
References
- Rimm EB, Stampfer MJ. Diet, lifestyle, and longevity--the next steps? JAMA. 2004 Sep 22;292(12):1490-2. PMID:
15383521 [Online]
- Knoops KTB, deGroot LCPGM, Kromhout D, et al. Mediterranean diet, lifestyle factors, and 10-year mortality
in elderly European men and women: the HALE project. JAMA. 2004;292:1433-1439. [Online]
- Esposito K, Marfella R, Ciotola M, et al. Effect of a Mediterranean-style diet on endothelial dysfunction and
markers of vascular inflammation in the metabolic syndrome: a randomized trial. JAMA. 2004;292:1440-1446. [Online]
- Liz Szabo, USA Today, We
should all eat like a Mediterranean, 9/22/2004.
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