A
long and healthy life is not just about being free from medical
conditions such as obesity and heart disease, researchers claim. Factors
such as a broken bone may affect the odds of dying years later
Loneliness and losing your sense of smell have been included on a list of 'hidden killers'
that could deny you a long and healthy life, while broken sleep and
difficulty in walking also appear on the list, compiled by Chicago
researchers.
Odd as it may seem, even something as seemingly innocuous as an arm
broken in middle-age may affect the odds of dying years later as the
researchers say these factors are just as important as obvious medical
conditions such as weight, blood pressure and heart disease.
In fact, being obese won’t necessarily send people to an early grave. And age, it seems, really is just a number.
Writing in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, the Chicago University researchers said we must look at a
person as a whole if we are to accurately judge their health.
The team, which included psychologists, sociologists and doctors
specialising in the care of the elderly, analysed a mountain of data on
the health and habits of 3,000 men and women aged between 57 and 85.
This included details about 'standard' conditions such as
diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity, as well as information about
factors such as loneliness, ease of walking and the strength of the
various senses, including smell.
Including the extra information provided a much more accurate
picture about which of the volunteers was likely to have died or become
very infirm over the following five years.
It also allowed the researchers to divide the men and women into
six groups, from the most healthy to the least healthy. These contained
some surprises.
For instance, the members of the healthiest group were all
overweight. And despite them having only a 6% chance of dying or
becoming very unwell, high blood pressure was also common.
However, psychological health, mobility and the sense of smell were
all good and the researchers said that if an older adult is otherwise
healthy, obesity 'seems to pose very little risk'.
Another group, with a 14% chance of death or very bad health, was
distinguished by its members having broken a bone after the age of 45.
These men and women were at higher risk of osteoporosis in old age.
However, they were very active and mobile and so it isn’t entirely
clearly that a break in middle age is a harbinger of ill health to come.
A third group had 19% odds of death or very bad health, and was
plagued by mental health problems, including stress, depression and
loneliness, as well as sleep problems.
Previous research has found loneliness to be as bad for health as
smoking 15 cigarettes a day, with social isolation weakening the immune
system and a person’s resistance to disease, while pushing up blood
pressure.
Past studies also suggest poor sense of smell may be a warning of
impending ill health. It is thought that the health of the olfactory
nerve, which carries information on smell from the nose to the brain, is
a sign of overall health.
And if the nerve has become old, damaged and unable to repair itself, the brain and body may be in the same position.
Despite the importance of the ‘hidden killers’, classic
conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity were rife among
those with the highest risk of death and ill health.
THE HIDDEN KILLERS THAT LEAD TO AN EARLY GRAVE
1. A broken bone
2. Loneliness
3. Loss of sense of smell
4. Trouble walking
5. Broken sleep
Source: Dailymail UK
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