What can doctors do to promote healthy and long-lasting lifestyle changes?
Important document was published In Europe more than a decade ago under the title “Healthy life is the best revenge” found that the implementation of just four simple factors of a healthy lifestyle can have a strong impact on the prevention of chronic diseases compared to none of them. We have about an 80% lower risk of chronic disease, a 93% lower risk of diabetes, an 81% lower risk of heart attack, a halved risk of stroke, and a 36% lower risk of cancer. Think about what that means. The potential to prevent disease and death is enormous. In the United States alone, there are half a million first heart attacks, half a million first strokes, one million new cases of diabetes, and one million new cancer diagnoses each year. The message is clear: Practicing a few healthy behaviors can have a big impact.
What are these four legendary factors?
- never smoke
- not being fat
- average about half an hour of exercise per day
- following the principles of a healthy diet, including plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains and less meat
Follow these four simple rules and boom! Enjoy an almost 80% reduction in the risk of major chronic diseases.
What does this mean for the risk of death? As I discuss in my video How to increase your life expectancy from 12 to 14 yearsa similar combination of the four healthy behaviors predicted “a 4-fold difference in total mortality for men and women, with an estimated effect of 14 years (ears) in chronological age” means that individuals died at a lower rate than if they were 14 years younger. “Finally, a regimen to prolong human life,” announced interpretation with reference to research that had is made a similar analysis of the effects of healthy lifestyle behaviors on life expectancy. But this time, it looked directly at the US population, which is especially important because Americans live longer than people in almost every other high-income country. Researchers have concluded that a healthy lifestyle can significantly reduce premature death and increase life expectancy in US adults. OK, but how much? They estimate that following a low-risk lifestyle can increase life expectancy by 14 years for women and 12.2 years for men at age 50. So if you’re 50 now, instead of only living to 79 if you’re a woman and 75½ if you’re a man in the United States, even basic self-care can put you on a life expectancy of 93 if you’re a woman and 87½ if you’re a man.
Bottom line is it’s never too late to turn back the clock. A middle-aged shift to just the basics—at least five servings of fruits and vegetables, walking 20 minutes a day, not smoking, and maintaining a healthy weight—results in a significant reduction in mortality even in the next few years. We’re talking about a 40% lower risk of dying over the next four years. Indeed, “the changes necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle are extremely valuable, and … middle age is not too late to act.”
Besides, when I realized that I had 12 to 14 years of extra life were based on information from medical professionals, I’m excited about all the potential ripple effects. If healthcare professionals start becoming healthier, they can become role models for healthier lives and potentially save more lives than just their own. But this was probably a dream and a hope. Exercise what you preach can sometimes backfire. Obviously, “a great show can uncharacteristically turn off the people they’re trying to inspire.”
It is fair to assume that not being a hypocrite and trying to walk the walk will lead to positive consequences and give others confidence. Don’t you want a dance teacher who can dance, a music teacher who can play, and a medical professional who can be healthy? But “this simple intuition doesn’t take into account concerns about impairment, rather than the superior behavior of an expert in others”—that is, it can make people feel inadequate. For example, you know how vegetarians are often the target of ridicule and hostility? This is because they can become morally superior and make others feel that they are putting them down.
There was a beautiful demonstration of this phenomenon in a study where “principled cultures that take the high road threaten the moral values of others”. There were participants he asked to perform the “racist duty” and those “moral rebels” who refused to do so were praised by observers, but discredited by fellow participants who did. Why? Because the rioters’ position was “an indictment of their spinelessness”. Isn’t that interesting?
So when doctors portray themselves as the “picture of health,” patients may think they’re holier-than-thou, which can inadvertently alienate those who need the doctors’ help the most. It’s easy to imagine how an overweight person might be threatened and judged by a medical triathlete. But what should we do? We want healthy interns. Doctors who smoke are less likely to tell their patients to quit smoking, overweight doctors are less likely to advise weight loss, and doctors who don’t exercise are less likely to talk about exercise. What doctors can do to make patients more comfortable is to emphasize that their role is to help people achieve their personal health goals, whatever they may be. Studies show that when doctors take this approach, it increases the involvement of “fitness” doctors in overweight patients. As such, physicians may exhibit exemplary behavior that inadvertently alienates those who would most benefit from their advice.
Dr.’s comment
For more information on lifestyle medicine, see the related posts below.
