Healthy life in middle age reduces disease later

Scientists assessed four aspects of healthy behaviour – not smoking, moderate alcohol consumption, exercise and eating fruits and vegetables – in more than 5,000 British men and women.

All were associated with a greater likelihood of “successful ageing” over a period of 16 years.

Successful ageing was defined as maintaining an ability to function well without developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke or disability.

It involved having good mobility, mental skills, mental health and lung function.

“All four healthy behaviours examined during midlife… were associated with greater odds of successfully ageing during a  16-year follow up,” the authors led by Dr Severine Sabia, from University College London, wrote in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The research formed part of the Whitehall II study set up to investigate links between social background and health.

Participants were aged 42 and 63 at the start of the study and free from cancer, heart disease or stroke. During the course of the study, 549 people died and 953 were classified as successfully ageing.

Successful agers were more likely to have been through higher education and to be married than people who suffered more from the ravages of time.

Of this group, 81 per cent were married compared with 78 per cent of the “normal ageing” group and 71 per cent of those who died.

In the study population, just 5 per cent did not engage in any of the healthy behaviours.

The researchers concluded: “Our study shows the cumulative impact of healthy behaviours on successful ageing –  the greater the number of healthy behaviours, the greater the benefit.