Health News__
Four Health Changes Can Prolong Life 14 Years

..... People who drink moderately, exercise, quit smoking and eat five servings of fruit and vegetables each day live on average 14 years longer than people who adopt none of these behaviors. Overwhelming evidence has shown that these things contribute to healthier and longer lives, but the new study published in journal PLoS Medicine actually quantified their combined impact.
..... Between 1993 and 1997 the researchers questioned 20,000 healthy British men and women about their lifestyles. They also tested every participant's blood to measure vitamin C intake, an indicator of how much fruit and vegetables people ate. Then they assigned the participants -- aged 45-79 -- a score of between 0 and 4, giving one point for each of the healthy behaviors.
..... After allowing for age and other factors that could affect the likelihood of dying, the researchers determined people with a score of 0 were four times as likely to have died, particularly from cardiovascular disease. The researchers, who tracked deaths among the participants until 2006, also said a person with a health score of 0 had the same risk of dying as someone with a health score of 4 who was 14 years older.
..... The lifestyle change with the biggest benefit was giving up smoking, which led to an 80 percent improvement in health, the study found. This was followed by eating fruits and vegetables. Moderate drinking and keeping ? active brought the same benefits.

Quitting Smoking For 8 Weeks Before Surgery Reduces All Your Risks Of Complications

If you smoke:
• It takes longer for your wounds to heal
• Your surgical wounds are more likely to get infected
• You have a higher chance of lung and chest infection after surgery
• You will probably need to stay in hospital longer

HOW TO STOP:
• Ask your Doctor or Peoples Pharmacist about trying a nicotine patch for at least four weeks. It will double your chances of
quitting smoking.
• Nicotine gum is also helpful. Make sure you chew it and then hold it against the side of your cheek.
Stopping until after your surgery could be the first step to quitting for life. For more information on smoking cessation talk to your Doctor or Peoples Pharmacist.
Information provided by the BC Cancer Agency,
Osteoporosis Prevention
Acetaminophen may provide relief for pain, sore throats, a. Osteoporosis can be a crippling disease that causes bones to become weak and brittle and break easily. Osteoporosis affects one in four women and one in eight men over 50 years of age. Osteoporosis does not develop overnight and some people are more likely to develop it than others. The more risk factors you have, the greater the risk.

Risk Factors you CAN change:
• Not enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet
• Not enough physical activity
• Smoking cigarettes
• Too much alcohol - regularly more than 2 drinks per day
• Too much caffeine - more than 3 cups a day of coffee, tea or cola

Risk Factors you CANNOT change:
• Having a thin, ‘small-boned’ body
• Being female
• family history of osteoporosis
• Getting older
• Of Caucasian or Asian background

The key to prevention is to start early - the younger the better. Making lifestyle changes can help prevent bones from becoming brittle.