What would happen if we heard as much or more about healthy living as we hear about healthcare reform? A new study of more than 25,000 Germans provides some interesting findings. The risk of developing major chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer was compared to the participants compliance with four healthy lifestyle factors:
- Never smoking
- Body mass index lower than 30 (not obese)
- Performing 3.5 hours/week of physical activity
- Eating a healthy diet (high intake of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, low meat consumption)
After adjusting for age, sex, educational level, and occupational status, the risk for chronic disease decreased progressively as the number of healthy factors increased.
PositiveTip: Personal interest in healthcare reform needs to include vigorous efforts to personally adopt a healthy lifestyle! The benefits are potentially huge!