Reduce your risk of death
A risk factor is something that makes it more likely that you will develop a particular disease or medical condition. Some risk factors, such as age, gender and family history, are beyond your control. However, many lifestyle-related risk factors are very much in your control.
You can dramatically reduce your risk of illness and early death by making a few simple lifestyle changes. Some risk factors that most people can control and change include weight, blood pressure and cholesterol level.
Always consult with your doctor before you change your diet or fitness program, particularly if you are over 40
Risk factors for deaths
- Physical inactivity.
- High blood pressure
- Obesity
- High blood cholesterol
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Tobacco smoking
Physical inactivity
If you are not active, your risk of cardiovascular disease is increased, especially coronary heart disease. Overweight and obese people are also likely to be sedentary.
Healthy lifestyle suggestions include:
- Do a reasonable amount of exercise at least three times each week (‘reasonable’ means hard enough to make you puff and sweat).
- Choose a sport or activity you enjoy, because the ‘fun factor’ dramatically increases your motivation to exercise.
- Start off slowly if you are not used to regular exercise – increase the frequency and intensity as your fitness improves.
- Make sure to check with your doctor before you start any new exercise program – individual factors such as your age or a pre-existing medical condition could make some forms of exercise inappropriate or even harmful.
High blood pressure
High blood pressure (hypertension) can cause ischaemic heart disease (blocked arteries in the heart), stroke, hypertensive heart disease, peripheral vascular disease and renal (kidney) failure.
Healthy lifestyle suggestions include:
- Lose excess weight.
- Do more physical activity – ideally, at least 30 minutes every day.
- Eat more fresh fruit and vegetables.
- Reduce or eliminate dietary salt – reducing your salt intake by 3g per day lowers blood pressure, but the effect is doubled with a 6g per day reduction and tripled with a 9g per day reduction. A low-salt diet also reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease.
Obesity
Almost half of adult Victorians were categorised as overweight or obese. Excessive body fat carries a higher risk of ill health including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, colon cancer, gall bladder disease and osteoporosis. Being overweight is also linked to high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol.
Healthy lifestyle suggestions include:
- Lose weight with healthy food choices and regular exercise.
- Plan to lose weight gradually, as crash diets don’t work and may even make you put on more weight in the long run.
- Seek professional advice from your doctor or dietitian if losing weight proves difficult.
High blood cholesterol
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance found in the bloodstream. Factors such as heredity, a diet high in saturated fat and various conditions such as type 2 diabetes influence a person’s cholesterol level. High blood cholesterol may worsen atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries) and influence the development of heart disease and stroke.
Healthy lifestyle suggestions include:
- Reduce the amount of saturated fat (the fat from animal products) in your diet.
- Increase consumption of fresh fruit, vegetables and wholegrain cereals.
- Consume one to two serves of fish per week, particularly oily fish. Studies show that about 100g per week of oily fish – such as salmon – reduces the risk of death from coronary heart disease by 34 per cent and is protective against heart disease and stroke.
Excessive alcohol consumption
Excessive long-term drinking increases the risk of cancers of the mouth, pharynx, oseophagus and liver. Smoking and excessive alcohol makes things even worse. Tobacco smoking amplifies the cancer-causing effects of alcohol on the upper digestive tract and respiratory tract. Alcohol is also linked to violence and an increased risk of accidental injury.
Healthy lifestyle suggestions include:
- Avoid binge drinking – that is, drinking a large amount of alcohol in a single session.
- Make a conscious effort to reduce your drinking – for example, before you attend a restaurant dinner, decide on a set number of drinks (such as two) and stick to it.
- Reduce your access to alcohol – for example, don’t store bulk amounts at home.
- Swap between alcoholic drinks and non-alcoholic beverages – water is ideal – when you are drinking.
- Switch to drinks with a reduced alcohol content if you can – for example, drink light beer instead of full-strength beer.
- Drink wine instead of spirits such as whiskey – spirits are distilled rather than fermented and have a much higher alcohol content.
- Aim for at least two alcohol-free days every week.
Tobacco smoking
Tobacco smoking is a significant risk factor for various cancers (such as lung cancer), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cardiovascular disease. Research suggests that smoking was responsible for about 10 per cent of all cardiovascular deaths throughout the world.
Healthy lifestyle suggestions include:
- If you smoke, stop as soon as you can.
- Seek professional advice if you find it hard to quit. In the meantime, try to cut back. Research suggests that the risk of cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease is dose-related, which means the risk increases the more cigarettes you smoke. However, that doesn’t mean there is a safe level of smoking.
