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Most people want longevity. They want their time on this earth to be long and fulfilling. They want to be able to enjoy their lives and not just exist or be sick.
There are modifiable factors that could extend the lives of most people. This means you can increase your longevity by making changes in your lifestyle. Many of these changes relate to how one lives life.
There are five cardiovascular risk factors that, if controlled, could extend your life by more than ten years. I’d bet if you were to think about them, you could identify those five cardiovascular risk factors. They are medical problems that you have likely heard about repeatedly. Certainly, the sooner you take care of these problems, the better your longevity will be. Studies have shown that even making changes in your lifestyle in later years can result in a longer life.
Let’s examine them. Smoking is one of the five modifiable risk factors. Most people understand that smoking is bad for their health. It causes long-term damage to the body in numerous ways. It is modifiable because, though difficult, one can stop or, even better, never start.
High cholesterol is another modifiable risk factor. Again, this is a medical problem that many have heard of and, in many cases, can be modified by adopting changes in diet or taking medications.
Being obese has long been known to be a medical problem but being underweight may also put your life in jeopardy. Though difficult to change, they both remain modifiable medical problems.
Diabetes, another medical problem that we all have heard of, is a modifiable cardiac risk affecting longevity. If you know someone who has suffered from the ravages of heart disease, you know it increases the risk for stroke, renal disease, vision loss, amputations, and infections, to name a few. This risk factor, again in many cases, may be modified with proper medication and education about diet and lifestyle. For many, education about diet, exercise and a willingness to adhere are paramount.
The last modifiable cardiovascular risk factor is hypertension, especially the top blood pressure number or systolic hypertension. Here again, there is no surprise in this being a risk factor to longevity. Many have seen the sequelae of the disease. There are heart-related attacks, strokes, vision problems, and other vascular problems, to name a few.
If one has none of these risk factors, the research suggests that a woman will have an additional 14.4 years of life, and a man will have an additional 11.8 years.
These are known as modifiable risk factors, so making a lifestyle change can make a significant difference.
Improvements in systolic blood pressure from age 55 to 60 years were associated with the most additional years of life.
Take the time to examine your life. Think about the changes that can be made to increase your lifespan by making lifestyle modifications.
Dr. Veita Bland is a board-certified Greensboro physician and hypertension specialist. Dr. Bland’s radio show, “It’s a Matter of Your Health,” can be heard live on Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m. on N.C. A&T State University’s WNAA, 90.1 FM. Listeners may call in and ask questions. The show is replayed on Sirius 142 at 5 p.m. on Wed. Email Dr. Bland at ideas@blandclinicpa.com.
