Study identifies healthy habits that reduce disease risk

Washington – Adhering to seven lifestyle recommendations may significantly reduce one’s risk of dying from diseases such as cancer and circulatory disease, concludes a study from the American Institute for Cancer Research.

Researchers tracked the diets and disease rates of 380,000 people for 13 years. Participants who followed all of AICR’s recommendations were 34 percent less likely to die from diseases.

Among the recommendations, maintaining a healthy weight and eating a plant-based diet were associated with the largest reduction in death risk – 22 and 21 percent, respectively.

Other recommendations include:

• Be active for at least 30 minutes a day.
• Limit consumption of calorie-dense foods and avoid sugary drinks.
• Limit red meat intake and avoid processed meats.
• Restrict alcohol to one drink per day for women and two per day for men.
• Breast-feed exclusively for the first six months, which has health benefits for the mother and the baby

The study was published March 27 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.