The most important factors for living longer

The women who took part in the study were part of the larger Fracture Intervention Trial. Close to 18,000 women (with an average age of 68) answered questions about their health and dietary habits and gave detailed information about their medical history.

The most important risk factors that could be changed were smoking, being in poor physical shape, having more fat concentrated in the abdominal area, and having high blood pressure. It is interesting to note that women who were underweight were at an increased risk of dying, and heavier women had a lower risk—but only if they didn’t carry their weight around their midsections.

What you can do to improve your odds for a long life

Fortunately, several lifestyle changes can increase your chances of a long, healthy life:

• Maintain a healthy weight—Especially aim to lose that tummy fat, as studies have shown that this type of fat distribution leads to heart disease.
• Get in shape—Exercise decreases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and being overweight. It also helps balance blood sugar levels, lowers blood pressure and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels, and raises HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels.
• Don’t smoke—By not smoking, you could drastically reduce your risk of dying from cancer or heart disease.
• Keep tabs on your blood pressure—By getting regular exercise, not smoking, and eating a healthful diet, you can help keep your blood pressure at an optimal level.

Of these factors, smoking stood out as particularly hazardous. Smoking causes lung cancer, which accounted for more than 25% of cancer deaths among the women. It also causes chronic respiratory illnesses like emphysema and contributes to heart disease. “The strong association of smoking with mortality is a critical reminder that smoking is the most important modifiable risk factor that physicians and society should address, even in older women,” the researchers said.