LONGEVITY ASSIGNMENT

Longevity Assignment

Longevity Assignment

Overview

Longevity, or life span, is the period of time between birth and death of an organism. This definition is misleadingly straightforward, because the point when life begins and ends is a matter of some arbitrariness. This paper would discuss the factors that may lead to life longevity and issues one has to face in old age

Life Longevity

The lifestyle factors tracked in the longevity game are Weight/Body mass index (BMI), drinking and smoking, handling stress and driving record. These factors associated with either long or short life of a person. Other factors related to life longevity can be physical activities and healthy diet. According to a study conducted by from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers with the collaboration with Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington researchers, high-blood pressure, smoking, elevated blood glucose and overweight and obesity reduces life longevity in the U.S. by 4.9 years in men and 4.1 years, in women. In the U.S., each year, these issues account to thousands of deaths from long-term illnesses such as heart diseases, cancers and diabetes. Body mass index provides a basic numeric measure of a person's fatness or thinness, providing health professionals to discuss a person's overweight or underweight situation. A body mass index higher than 40 is, by itself, a life-threatening condition. A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal (Danaei, 2010). Drinking and smoking is a major concern in U.S. American women who smoke live 14.5 fewer years than female nonsmokers, and American male smokers live 13.2 fewer years than male nonsmokers, according to the American Cancer Society's "Guide to Quitting Smoking" report.

People actively involved in physical activities and exercises lead a healthy life. Mental health and attitude plays a role and is associated with longer life. So it is a reminder to think positive and always stay cheerful if one wants to live longer. People who eat a diet high in fruits, legumes and vegetables and low in animal fat have lower rates of cancer and heart disease, and are at a lower risk of dying of these diseases. Eating too much meat increases your colon-cancer risk, and eating too many salty foods increases your hypertension risk (Danaei, 2009).

In examining my own life expectancy, these factors do come into count. I am an average-weight person and my weight is appropriate keeping in context my age and my ...