Unhealthy Men Lose a Decade of Life
Smokers with High Cholesterol at High Risk of Dying Early
Sep 18, 2009
Three major risk factors that can be greatly reduced through medication or lifestyle changes dramatically cut short the lives of middle-aged men.
Long-term Study of Men Yields Valuable Health Results
In the late 1960s, the United Kingdom was undergoing a spike in cardio-vascular disease; that’s when the British Heart Foundation (BHF) decided to sponsor a study to determine the major risk factors for heart illness.
The so-called Whitehall study was carried out by researchers at Oxford University and involved 19,000 male civil servants aged 40 to 69. They were first given medical examinations between 1967 and 1970 and then followed during subsequent years.
Three Major Heart Risk Factors Identified
According to a news release from the BHF the research “suggests the presence of three key heart disease risk factors in men aged 50 – smoking, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol could translate into a reduced life expectancy of 10-15 years.”
According to the BHF’s Medical Director, Professor Peter Weissberg, “The good news is that all of us can make changes to help us live a healthy life for longer, even after 50.
“We know that stopping smoking and reducing blood pressure and cholesterol, by lifestyle changes and/or tablets, can prevent the onset of heart disease.”
He added that while the study involved men, he believes the results apply equally to women.
Study Focused on Risk Factors
Participants in the study were tested for blood pressure, lung function, cholesterol, and blood glucose levels. They also completed an extensive questionnaire on their smoking habits, employment grades, marital status, and medical histories.
In 2005, researchers revisited the men in the study, by which time more than 13,000 had died. BBC News (September 18, 2009) reported on the findings: “when they broadened it out to look at all risk factors including obesity, diabetes, and employment grade, they found a 15-year life expectancy difference between the five percent with the highest number of risk factors and the five percent who had the lowest number of risk factors.”
Significant Longevity from Healthier Living
Dr. Robert Clarke, of the Clinical Trial Service Unit at Oxford University, was the study leader. He said of the research carried out by his team that, “We’ve shown that men at age 50 who smoke, have high blood pressure, and high cholesterol levels can expect to survive to 74 years of age, while those who have none of these risk factors can expect to live until 83.”
He adds that it’s only through this kind of long-term study, with extensive follow-up, that accurate predictions of life expectancy connected with risk factors can be made.
With the knowledge that comes from such studies, individuals can make informed choices about how to conduct their lives. Some will make the healthy choice, while others will try to cheat the odds. The future does not look good for the latter group.
 |
