Take control. Don't put off healthy changes. But above all, stop worrying and start enjoying life.
When the health editors asked nine doctors who specialise in anti-ageing to rank the impact of dozens of lifestyle habits - both past and present - on future health, their answers were both intriguing and amazing.
As expected, the informal expert panel took a serious stance on notorious health wreckers such as tobacco smoking, drinking to excess and being too sedentary. But these doctors and psychologists were equally concerned about hidden health threats - issues such as worry, unhappy relationships and debt.
Plenty of research suggests that these extra-strength stresses can lower immunity and raise the risk of everything from diabetes to heart disease to migraine headaches and more. The result? The panel in some instances ranked these seemingly unrelated-to-health issues ahead of better-known health risks such as not exercising, breathing second-hand smoke and ignoring troublesome medical symptoms as the most dangerous to your future. Their fixes surprised us too, going beyond the conventional wisdom of 'eat more vegetables' and 'get more exercise' to emphasise the pleasurable. Good company, relaxation, holidays and fun, they told us, are as important for a healthy future as that whole-grain bread you had at breakfast this morning or the solitary walk you plant to take this afternoon.
THE DEADLIEST HEALTH SINS
Among current bad health habits, eight out of nine doctors rate these three as having the potential to cause significant harm:
The panel of surveyed doctors rated the following ongoing habits, eating patterns and attitudes as most harmful to present and future health.
Habits
1 smoking cigarettes
2 spending yourself deeply into debt
3 Needing sleeping pills to get a good night's sleep
4 Drinking too much at least once a week
5 Talking painkillers every day
Eating patterns
1 Drinking a lot of sugary drinks
2 Eating four or more meals a week at fast-food restaurants
3 Eating sugary or fatty foods every day
4 Rarely eating vegetables
5 (tie) Skipping breakfast most mornings
Losing and regaining the same 5 to 10 kg (10 to 20lb), over and over again
Lifestyle choices
1 Being angry, worried or stressed more than happy
2 Feeling a loss of control over home, career or family
3 Living in an unhappy relationship for some time
4 Ignoring most health problems an symptoms
5 Not exercising beyond everyday living
corroborated by research linking gum disease with more chronic inflammation and a higher risk for diabetes, heart disease and even stroke.
When the health editors asked nine doctors who specialise in anti-ageing to rank the impact of dozens of lifestyle habits - both past and present - on future health, their answers were both intriguing and amazing.
As expected, the informal expert panel took a serious stance on notorious health wreckers such as tobacco smoking, drinking to excess and being too sedentary. But these doctors and psychologists were equally concerned about hidden health threats - issues such as worry, unhappy relationships and debt.
Plenty of research suggests that these extra-strength stresses can lower immunity and raise the risk of everything from diabetes to heart disease to migraine headaches and more. The result? The panel in some instances ranked these seemingly unrelated-to-health issues ahead of better-known health risks such as not exercising, breathing second-hand smoke and ignoring troublesome medical symptoms as the most dangerous to your future. Their fixes surprised us too, going beyond the conventional wisdom of 'eat more vegetables' and 'get more exercise' to emphasise the pleasurable. Good company, relaxation, holidays and fun, they told us, are as important for a healthy future as that whole-grain bread you had at breakfast this morning or the solitary walk you plant to take this afternoon.
THE DEADLIEST HEALTH SINS
Among current bad health habits, eight out of nine doctors rate these three as having the potential to cause significant harm:
- Smoking
- chronic anger, stress or worry
- Feeling out of control at home or in your relationships
'Certainly smoking is the biggest killer,' notes geriatrician Robert Stall, MD, of Buffalo, one of the panelists. 'My feeling is the tobacco companies are the biggest drug cartel in the world, killing more people than all illicit drugs combined.'
Tobacco smoke makes the risk of lung cancer and heart attack soar, but that's only the beginning. 'Smoking is the most destructive habit when it comes to lung health,' Dr Stall notes. 'It triggers conditions like emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD], Where you're
literally suffocating. It's as if you're holding your nostrils shut so that you can barely get any air through, and breathing that way every moment of every day. It's torturous.'
What was the next tier of unhealthy habits? More than half the doctors identified the following as having the greatest chances of causing significant future harm to your health:
Tobacco smoke makes the risk of lung cancer and heart attack soar, but that's only the beginning. 'Smoking is the most destructive habit when it comes to lung health,' Dr Stall notes. 'It triggers conditions like emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD], Where you're
literally suffocating. It's as if you're holding your nostrils shut so that you can barely get any air through, and breathing that way every moment of every day. It's torturous.'
What was the next tier of unhealthy habits? More than half the doctors identified the following as having the greatest chances of causing significant future harm to your health:
- Not having a regular exercise routine
- Drinking to excess on a weekly basis
- Breathing secondhand smoke regularly
- Taking sleeping pills to fall asleep most nights
- Gulping large quantities of sugary drinks every day.
Being stuck in an unhappy relationship - with your spouse or with your own body - got top rankings, too. Experts said that ignoring warning signs an symptoms of potential health problems could be as damaging as living with a spouse or partner with whom you fight or maintain an icy silence.
Poor food habits set off alarms, too. All of the experts agreed that regularly indulging in high-calorie, high-fat, high-salt fast-food meals could cause moderate to significant health effects.
And eight out of nine saw similar risks for those who skimped on veggies or rarely drank plain old water - as well as those who filled up on meat, pastries, sweets or ice cream.
Dieters, beware: gaining and losing the same 5 to 10 kg (10 to 20lb) repeatedly was deemed dangerous by most. So was skipping breakfast.
What happens after meals mattered, too. Do you brush and floss? Eight out of nine said that neglecting dental health could be the cause of moderate to significant harm - an opinion
Hurting your health
Poor food habits set off alarms, too. All of the experts agreed that regularly indulging in high-calorie, high-fat, high-salt fast-food meals could cause moderate to significant health effects.
And eight out of nine saw similar risks for those who skimped on veggies or rarely drank plain old water - as well as those who filled up on meat, pastries, sweets or ice cream.
Dieters, beware: gaining and losing the same 5 to 10 kg (10 to 20lb) repeatedly was deemed dangerous by most. So was skipping breakfast.
What happens after meals mattered, too. Do you brush and floss? Eight out of nine said that neglecting dental health could be the cause of moderate to significant harm - an opinion
Hurting your health
The panel of surveyed doctors rated the following ongoing habits, eating patterns and attitudes as most harmful to present and future health.
Habits
1 smoking cigarettes
2 spending yourself deeply into debt
3 Needing sleeping pills to get a good night's sleep
4 Drinking too much at least once a week
5 Talking painkillers every day
Eating patterns
1 Drinking a lot of sugary drinks
2 Eating four or more meals a week at fast-food restaurants
3 Eating sugary or fatty foods every day
4 Rarely eating vegetables
5 (tie) Skipping breakfast most mornings
Losing and regaining the same 5 to 10 kg (10 to 20lb), over and over again
Lifestyle choices
1 Being angry, worried or stressed more than happy
2 Feeling a loss of control over home, career or family
3 Living in an unhappy relationship for some time
4 Ignoring most health problems an symptoms
5 Not exercising beyond everyday living
corroborated by research linking gum disease with more chronic inflammation and a higher risk for diabetes, heart disease and even stroke.
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