Will You Live to be 85?

Will You Live to be 85?

Researchers say their new tool can tell you

By Dr. George I. Traitses

Swiss researchers have developed a calculator that claims to predict the likelihood of a 75-year-old living an extra decade. The main factors considered: alcohol and fruit consumption, exercise, and smoking habits. According to its predictions, a 75-year-old man whose health habits scored the worst according to the chart had a 35% chance of earning that extra decade, while a 75-year-old man with the best possible habits was 67% more likely to do so. In women, those who enjoy the healthiest habits boosted their odds to 74% while women who smoke, drink, eat little fruit and exercise rarely had only a 45% chance of living another 10 years.

Smoking had a greater impact than all the other factors combined, increasing people’s chances of dying early by 57%. “The easy-to-understand overview boards will be able to assist physicians in the practices in health advice to their patients,” said Eva Martin-Diener, one of the study’s authors“They can also be important for the political discussion of prevention strategies for (chronic) diseases.”

Source: “Will you live another 10 years? New health calculator wants to tell you,” by Meredith Engel, New York Daily News, July 9, 2014.

For more information on health and safety visit the Ontario Chiropractic Association; Website at www.chiropractic.on.ca or call 1877-327-227; Dr. George Traitses, 416-499-5656, www.infinite-health.com