Six steps to a long life (you can forget about the step #7)

Dr. Clyde Yancy just wants us to live longer.

A past-president of the American Heart Association, Dr. Yancy recently spoke before the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress and gave his seven tips for longevity.

In his opinion, these “lifestyle factors” could give you a 90 percent chance of living to 90 or even 100, “free of not only heart disease and stroke but from a number of other chronic illnesses including cancer.”

That sounds like a win-win to me! So let’s take a look at Yancy’s Seven…

1) “Get Active.” Great advice, right off the top. So far I’m with you all the way, Dr. Y.

3) “Follow a healthy diet.” Well…agreed. But since he’s a former AHA head, I’ve got a feeling that Dr. Yancy and I might differ on a few key details (like saturated fats).

4) “Know and control blood pressure.” Absolutely — although I’ll bet Dr. Yancy recommends a low low low salt diet. Sorry…I can’t go there with him.

5) “Achieve and maintain a healthy weight.” 100 percent agreed!

6) “Manage diabetes.” Agreed. Without drugs, whenever possible, of course.

7) “Be tobacco free.” Again, 100 percent agreed!

Now, you may have noticed that #2 is missing. That’s because it’s not necessary. Here’s how it reads in Dr. Yancy’s list: “Know and control cholesterol levels.”

If everyone followed Dr. Yancy’s other six tips, almost no one would ever need to give the slightest thought to their cholesterol levels.

I don’t know Dr. Yancy’s history. Maybe he was a renegade maverick as an AHA president, but I doubt it. Which would lead me to believe that he would probably recommend statin drugs to anyone trying to bring down their cholesterol levels.

So there are TWO big perks to making healthy choices: you’re more likely to live long, and you won’t be pressured to take unnecessary drugs.

Sources:
“Simple lifestyle changes can add a decade or more healthy years to the average lifespan” Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada, 10/21/11, eurekalert.org