Short lifespan if you don't smoke and drink? Peking University research: Not smoking, not drinking can greatly extend the life expectancy of Chinese people

"Smoking and drinking are harmful to your health, can you change your two bad habits"

"I saw that the old man next door smoked and drank, didn't he also live to be over ninety?"

"Don't talk about anything else with me. I'm thinking about your body now. You're coughing non-stop every day. It's not because you smoke."

"I think those who don't drink or smoke have shorter lives!"

"What kind of nonsense are you talking about..."

Is "not smoking and drinking" harmful to health or good for longevity? Xiao Jiu will chat with you today.

1. Research by Peking University: People who have these 5 habits may live longer

On September 7 this year, Li Bin, deputy director of the National Health Commission, introduced that the average life expectancy in China has increased from the previous 74.8 years to 78.2 years.

What is the relationship between life expectancy and lifestyle in China?

The team of Li Liming and Lu Jun of Peking University, together with the team of Zhao Liyun of the Chinese Center for Disease Control, conducted a study on 5 low-risk lifestyles and life expectancy. The research results were published in "The Lancet Public Health".

The study included data from 487,209 participants, and the researchers found that:

Compared with participants with 0 to 1 low-risk factors, participants with 5 low-risk lifestyle factors were able to reduce the risk of all-cause death by 62%, the risk of cardiovascular disease death by 63%, and the risk of cancer death by 53% , and a 70% risk of dying from chronic respiratory diseases .

Compared with those with 0-1 low-risk lifestyle, men and women with 5 low-risk lifestyles had 8.8 and 8.1 years longer life expectancy at age 30, respectively .

It can be seen that having 5 low-risk lifestyles can reduce all-cause mortality and mortality caused by chronic diseases. The 5 specific low-risk lifestyles are:

• Quit smoking from never smoking or non-disease factors;
• The level of exercise is higher than the average level of people of the same age and gender;
• Daily drinking or pure alcohol intake is less than 30 grams for men and less than 15 grams for women;
• The body mass index is between 18.5 and 27.9, the waist circumference of women is less than 85 cm, and the waist circumference of men is less than 90 cm;
• Eat fresh vegetables and fruits every day, eat red meat 1-6 days a week, eat beans ≥ 4 days a week, and eat fish ≥ 1 day a week.

Previously, there was a related survey. A survey of 255 centenarians in Zhejiang found that 83% of them did not smoke and 73% did not drink alcohol; a survey of 1236 centenarians in Nantong found that none of them smoked or drank alcohol. Men accounted for 50.66%, and women accounted for 83.37%.

Therefore, not smoking and drinking is one of the important factors for drinking and living longer.

2. People who never let go of alcohol and tobacco may face 3 consequences

In addition to affecting life expectancy, smoking and drinking may also face these 3 consequences:

1. Increased risk of cancer

Smoking and drinking are the main culprits of various cancers. Smoking may induce lung cancer, and drinking may easily lead to liver cancer. In addition, studies have found that people who drink a lot are more likely to develop lung cancer, upper gastrointestinal or respiratory cancer, and colorectal cancer than those who do not drink alcohol.

2. More susceptible to cerebral infarction and myocardial infarction

Smoking and drinking will increase blood lipids. Tobacco contains a lot of harmful chemicals, which can stimulate blood vessel walls, increase blood pressure and aggravate atherosclerosis. In addition, compared with non-smokers, smokers are more likely to suffer from cerebral infarction and myocardial infarction.

3. High risk of dementia

The nicotine contained in tobacco will stimulate the nerves to continue to excite, and it is highly addictive. Once long-term smokers leave cigarettes, they are prone to symptoms such as slow thinking, listlessness, headache and dizziness, and even induce DNA mutations.

In addition, alcohol can paralyze the nerve center and cause conduction block. Some people who drink for a long time will have atrophy of the cerebral cortex, which will have adverse effects on thinking, diet, exercise and senses.

3. After the age of 30, you might as well stick to 5 small things

A study published in "The Lancet Public Health" found that for the general population, if they can persist in doing these 5 things after the age of 30, it will help to extend life expectancy.

1. Healthy eating habits

Eat fresh vegetables and fruits every day, eat red meat 1-6 days a week, eat beans more than 4 days a week, and eat fish at least 1 day a week.

In addition, you can also take in whole grains, milk and its products, nuts, etc.; eat less processed meat, red meat, salt, wine, fat and sugar.

2. Quit smoking

Some smokers tend to give up smoking because of the withdrawal reaction. In fact, there are two ways to reduce the withdrawal reaction.

One is to divert attention, such as eating snacks, chewing gum, running, etc.; the other is to seek help from a doctor, find a professional smoking cessation clinic in a hospital, and quit smoking under the guidance and help of a doctor.

3. Don’t drink too much

Daily drinking or pure alcohol intake is less than 30 grams for men and less than 15 grams for women. According to the World Health Organization, drinking is related to more than 200 health problems, and the safest dose of drinking is "0".

4. Active exercise

Reasonable exercise is good for health. According to the recommendations of the World Health Organization, adults should have at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week , such as brisk walking, dancing, and housework, etc.; or 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise, such as competitive sports, Fast rides, fast swims and more.

5. Maintain a healthy body shape

Obesity will increase the risk of many diseases. If you want to maintain a healthy body shape, you must first live a regular life and try not to stay up late. Staying up late is easy to eat because of hunger.

Secondly, we must persist in endurance exercise, including muscle building, anaerobic and so on. Finally, keep your mood comfortable, because bad mood is prone to inflammation and allows fat to be stored in the body.

In short, if you want to live a long life, you'd better develop good habits, don't smoke, don't drink too much, exercise actively, eat a healthy diet, and maintain a healthy body shape.

References:

[1] "Drinking and Smoking Can't Live Longer? A Survey Gives You the Correct Answer". Fenghuang Health. 2022-07-29

[2] "Young people with cancer, want to tell all desperate people: don't risk your life to "fight" life". Health Times. 2020-09-03

[3] "High incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in winter, what should we do?" ".Medical.2020-12-19

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