Four common bad habits combined—smoking, drinking too much, inactivity and poor diet—can age you by 12 years, sobering new research suggests.
The findings are from a study that tracked nearly 5,000 British adults for 20 years, and they highlight yet another reason to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
Overall, 300 people studied had all four unhealthy behaviors. Among them, 90 died during the study, or 30 percent. Among the 400 healthiest people with none of the four habits, 8 percent of them died.
The risky behaviors were: smoking tobacco; downing more than three alcoholic drinks per day for
men and more than two daily for women; getting less than two hours of physical activity per week; and eating fruits and vegetables fewer than three times daily.
These habits combined substantially increased the risk of death and made people who engaged in them seem 12 years older than people in the healthiest group, said lead researcher Elisabeth Kvaavik of the University of Oslo.
The healthiest group included never-smokers and those who had quit; teetotalers, women who had fewer than two drinks daily and men who had fewer than three; those who got at least two hours of physical activity weekly; and those who ate fruits and vegetables at least three times daily.
"You don't need to be extreme" to be in the healthy category, Kvaavik said. "These behaviors add up, so together it's quite good. It should be possible for most people to manage to do it."
The US government generally recommends at least 4 cups of fruits or vegetables daily for a
dults, depending on age and activity level, and about 2 hours of exercise weekly．
小题1:What problem may you have, if you smoke often and eat few fruits and vegetables?
A．You would have difficulty in walking．
B．You would feel tired, lack of energy．
C．You may look older than you really are．
D．You may face the risk of death of cancer．小题2:How many of the 400 healthiest people with none of the four habits died?
A．32.
B．24．
C．56．
D．120．小题3:What does this text mainly talk about?
A．Suggestions to smokers．
B．The results of four bad life habits．
C．The findings of a new research．
D．The recommends from the US government.
