3 Steps To A Healthier Life In Spite of Your Genes
Aging is on my mind this weekend for obvious reasons (candles, cake,…). Science Daily has a three-step plan for living a longer life.
Step 1
Don’t work too much. Regardless of the kind of job you have, working long hours is associated with injuries and illness; overtime increases the risk by about 61 percent. I think I’ve got this part covered.
Step 2
Carriers of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 breast cancer genes can lower their risk of breast cancer by losing 10 pounds sometime between age 18 and 30; gaining 10 pounds before age 40 increases the risk of breast cancer. Since most of us don’t know if we have these two breast cancer genes, it’s important for all of us to maintain a healthy weight.
Step 3
Heart surgery at old age may prolong life. In 80-year-olds who received heart surgery, most were still alive five years later and were 50 percent less likely to die than other 80-year-olds who did not have surgery.
(Science Daily carries this idea just a tad too far by recommending heart surgery in old age.)
There’s no telling how personal genetic information might enhance recommendations for prolonging life. I’m not sure if I’ll live long enough to find out, but I’ll still get to say this year, “Happy birthday to me!”
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POSTED IN: General Genetics and Health
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