美国疾病控制和预防中心说，一些可避免的行为，象抽烟、不良饮食习惯和缺乏运动是美国半数死亡的根本原因。一项新的研究发现停止这些坏的习惯以获得健康益处永远不会太晚。

在为期5年的研究中，研究人员测试了2000人行走速度，包括吸烟者，或从未吸烟者的。当前还在吸烟者的行走速度慢于那些已经停止吸烟者。研究结果将在下周举行的美国老年医学会的年会上呈现。 河南省儿童医院(郑州儿童医院)烧伤整形科丁语

结果表明，即使在一个年龄较大的阶段，改变坏的习惯，比如吸烟，也对今后的生活产生积极的影响。研究的负责人——美国老年医学学会的Alison Moore，本周说：如果你想活得更长，应停止五种坏习惯。

1。不良的饮食习惯

Moore 说：“超重会导致多种健康问题和并发症，包括糖尿病，心脏病和卒中。我们想补充一点，超重可能会导致性欲降低”。她说: “用“好”碳水化合物（红薯，麦面包，糙米）代替“坏”碳水化合物（白土豆，白面包，精白米），加上瘦肉蛋白，同时限制高脂肪和高糖含量的食品，可以帮助老年人保持健康的体重。”

这对年轻人也是不错的建议。

2。吸烟和饮酒

Moore说：“吸烟和过量饮酒被证实对任何年龄的人的健康都有负面影响，老年人，经常的抽烟、饮酒增加他们更早患更严重疾病的机会。与酒精混合后，许多药物的效果发生改变，可造成严重的健康风险，尤其是那些服用多种药物的老年人。”

3。沙发马铃薯综合征

Moore说：“随着人们变老，他们往往缓慢下来，感觉他们不能象年青时做的那样多。有时候体力活动因健康问题而受到限制，但是这并不意味着大脑需求慢下来。有很多活动，老年人参与以保持头脑集中和敏锐，包括填字游戏，互动游戏，参加一个读书俱乐部或者参与其他社会活动和志愿者活动。”

4。乱用药物

Moore注意到：大多数老年人都在服用多种药物，有时觉得记住什么时候服用哪种药物很困难或太麻烦。因此，一些老年人不与医生商量，就“调整”自己的日常用药。她说：为了帮助保持用药的规律以及减轻他们的经常搞混的情况，老年人应该使用每周或每月的药丸盒，有一个家庭成员或朋友帮助他们填写定期药丸盒或进行彩色编码表，以帮助记录他们的药丸和他们需要服用的时间。

5。缺乏运动

Moore说：保持体力活动是保持心脏、思维和骨骼健康必需的一部分。对于一些老年人，体力受限，进行运动是一个挑战，但仍有一些小的方法将体力活动纳入到日常工作生活中，比如把车停的离商店远一点，可以有一个短的步行路程。而且，如瑜珈课程，普拉提或者太极拳可以帮助保持平衡、减轻体重，可适应于各种体力水平。

虽然目前还不清楚什么样运动在减轻体重中发挥什么样的作用，但是充分地证明运动有很多健康益处，包括有助于保持思维敏捷。

（来源：livescience.com）

Never too late: 5 bad habits you should still quit

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says avoidable behaviors like cigarette use, poor diet and lack of exercise are the underlying cause of half of the deaths in the United States. A new study finds it's never too late to gain health benefits by knocking off such bad habits.

During a five-year study, researchers tested the walking speeds of 2,000 people who either smoke, were smokers, or had never smoked. Current smokers walked more slowly than those who had stopped. The findings will be presented next week at the American Geriatrics Society's Annual Meeting.

The results suggest that even at an older age, changing bad habits such as smoking can positively impact a senior's health later in life. Study leader Alison Moore of the American Geriatrics Society this week suggested five bad habits that should be halted if you wish to live longer.

1. Bad food choices

Excess weight can cause multiple health problems and complications, including diabetes, heart disease and stroke, Moore said. We'd like to add that it can cause reduced sex desire. Substituteing good carbohydrates (sweet potatoes, wheat bread, brown rice) for bad carbohydrates (white potatoes, white bread, white rice) and adding lean proteins, while limiting foods with high fat and sugar contents, will help seniors maintain a healthy weight, she said.

Not bad advice for junior, either.

2. Smoking and drinking

Smoking and excessive alcohol intake is proven to have negative health effects on a person at any age, but seniors who smoke and drink regularly increase their chances of more advanced medical problems. The effects of many medications are altered when mixed with alcohol, which can pose serious health risks, especially for seniors taking multiple medications, Moore said.

3. Couch potato syndrome

As people age, they often slow down and feel like they can't do as much as they did when they were young. While physical activity sometimes becomes restricted due to health ailments, that doesn't mean the brain needs to slow down. There are a variety of activities seniors can do to keep their minds focused and sharp, including word puzzles, interactive games, joining a book club or participating in other social and volunteer activities, Moore said.

4. Messing up medications

The majority of seniors are on multiple medications and sometimes find it difficult or too bothersome to remember when and which medications to take each day. As a result, some seniors “adjust” their daily medication routine without talking to their physicians, Moore notes. To help keep medications organized and alleviate frustration, seniors should use weekly or monthly pill boxes and have a family member or friend help them fill pill boxes on a regular basis or make a color coded chart to help keep track of their pills and the times they need to be taken, she said.

5. Lack of exercise

Keeping physically active is integral to keeping the heart, mind and bones healthy. For some seniors, physical restrictions make exercise a challenge, but there are still small ways to incorporate physical activity into a daily routine, such as parking further away from the store to get in a short walk. And, programs such as yoga, Pilates or Tai Chi can help with balance and weight loss and can be adapted to all levels of physical ability, Moore said.

While it's not yet clear what role exercise plays in weight loss, it is soundly proven to pack a host of health benefits, including helping to keep the mind sharp.

(Source: livescience.com)