Jump to full article: ScienceDaily, 2009-09-28
Intro: Middle aged men who smoke, have high blood pressure and raised cholesterol levels can expect a 10-15 year shorter life expectancy from age 50 compared with men without these risk factors.
The Oxford University study published in the British Medical Journal reports data from the Whitehall study, in which the health of 19,000 male civil servants has been followed for almost 40 years since 1970, when they were aged 40-69.
'We've shown that men at age 50 who smoke, have high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels can expect to survive to 74 years of age, while those who have none of these risk factors can expect to live until 83,' says Dr Robert Clarke of the Clinical Trial Service Unit at the University of Oxford, who led the research team.
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Dr Clarke says: 'The results give people another way of looking at heart disease risk factors that can be understood more readily. If you stop smoking or take measures to deal with high blood pressure or body weight, it will translate into increased life expectancy.
'It also provides support for existing public health policies. Bans on smoking in public places, efforts to lower saturated fats and salt, combined with medications for those at high risk of cardiovascular disease, when taken together will result in substantial improvements in life expectancy across the population.'
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