Hmmm. I'm gonna live longer than my husband. I wonder why 'being female' isn't on the list.
- Your mom had you young - If she was under age 25, you're twice as likely to live to 100 as someone born to an older mom, according to University of Chicago scientists.
- You're a tea lover - Both green and black teas contain a concentrated dose of catechins, substances that help blood vessels relax and protect your heart.
- You'd rather walk "Fit" people - defined as those who walk for about 30 minutes a day - are more likely to live longer than those who walk less, regardless of how much body fat they have, according to a recent study of 2,603 men and women.
- You skip soda (even diet) - Scientists in Boston found that drinking one or more regular or diet colas every day doubles your risk of metabolic syndrome - a cluster of conditions, including high blood pressure, elevated insulin levels, and excess fat around the waist, that increase your chance of heart disease and diabetes.
- You have strong legs - Lower-body strength translates into good balance, flexibility, and endurance. As you get older, those attributes are key to reducing your risk of falls and injuries - particularly hip fractures, which often quickly lead to declining health.
- You eat purple food - Concord grapes, blueberries, red wine: They all get that deep, rich color from polyphenols - compounds that reduce heart disease risk and may also protect against Alzheimer's disease, according to the new research.
- You were a healthy-weight teen - A study in the Journal of Pediatrics that followed 137 African Americans from birth to age 28 found that being overweight at age 14 increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes in adulthood.
- You don't like burgers - A few palm-size servings (about 2 1/2 ounces) of beef, pork, or lamb now and then is no big deal, but eating more than 18 ounces of red meat per week ups your risk of colorectal cancer - the third most common type, according to a major report by the American Institute for Cancer Research.
- You've been a college freshman - A recent Harvard Medical School study found that people with more than 12 years of formal education (even if it's only 1 year of college) live 18 months longer than those with fewer years of schooling. Why? The more education you have, the less likely you are to smoke.
- You really like your friends -
"Good interpersonal relationships act as a buffer against stress," says Micah Sadigh, PhD, an associate professor of psychology at Cedar Crest College.
...And they're healthy
If your closest friends gain weight, your chance of doing the same could increase by 57%, according to a study in the New England of Journal of Medicine.
- You embrace the challenge - People who consider themselves self-disciplined, organized achievers live longer and have up to an 89% lower risk of developing Alzheimer's than the less conscientious, according to two studies.
- You don't have a housekeeper - Just by vacuuming, mopping floors, or washing windows for a little more than an hour, the average person can burn about 285 calories, lowering risk of death by 30%, according to a study of 302 adults in their 70s and 80s.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27166402/?pg=1#TDY_Hlth_15signs_live
- Your mom had you young - If she was under age 25, you're twice as likely to live to 100 as someone born to an older mom, according to University of Chicago scientists.
- You're a tea lover - Both green and black teas contain a concentrated dose of catechins, substances that help blood vessels relax and protect your heart.
- You'd rather walk "Fit" people - defined as those who walk for about 30 minutes a day - are more likely to live longer than those who walk less, regardless of how much body fat they have, according to a recent study of 2,603 men and women.
- You skip soda (even diet) - Scientists in Boston found that drinking one or more regular or diet colas every day doubles your risk of metabolic syndrome - a cluster of conditions, including high blood pressure, elevated insulin levels, and excess fat around the waist, that increase your chance of heart disease and diabetes.
- You have strong legs - Lower-body strength translates into good balance, flexibility, and endurance. As you get older, those attributes are key to reducing your risk of falls and injuries - particularly hip fractures, which often quickly lead to declining health.
- You eat purple food - Concord grapes, blueberries, red wine: They all get that deep, rich color from polyphenols - compounds that reduce heart disease risk and may also protect against Alzheimer's disease, according to the new research.
- You were a healthy-weight teen - A study in the Journal of Pediatrics that followed 137 African Americans from birth to age 28 found that being overweight at age 14 increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes in adulthood.
- You don't like burgers - A few palm-size servings (about 2 1/2 ounces) of beef, pork, or lamb now and then is no big deal, but eating more than 18 ounces of red meat per week ups your risk of colorectal cancer - the third most common type, according to a major report by the American Institute for Cancer Research.
- You've been a college freshman - A recent Harvard Medical School study found that people with more than 12 years of formal education (even if it's only 1 year of college) live 18 months longer than those with fewer years of schooling. Why? The more education you have, the less likely you are to smoke.
- You really like your friends -
"Good interpersonal relationships act as a buffer against stress," says Micah Sadigh, PhD, an associate professor of psychology at Cedar Crest College.
...And they're healthy
If your closest friends gain weight, your chance of doing the same could increase by 57%, according to a study in the New England of Journal of Medicine.
- You embrace the challenge - People who consider themselves self-disciplined, organized achievers live longer and have up to an 89% lower risk of developing Alzheimer's than the less conscientious, according to two studies.
- You don't have a housekeeper - Just by vacuuming, mopping floors, or washing windows for a little more than an hour, the average person can burn about 285 calories, lowering risk of death by 30%, according to a study of 302 adults in their 70s and 80s.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27166402/?pg=1#TDY_Hlth_15signs_live
