Americans ditch “healthy lifestyle”

Thursday May 28, 2009 (foodconsumer.org) -- Americans in their middle years, ages 40 to 74, are drinking more, exercising less and gaining more weight than they were 18 years ago, says a study published on May 27, 2009 in the American Journal of Medicine.

Following a healthy lifestyle, according to the Journal, includes being physically active, eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables, maintaining a healthy weight, using alcohol moderately and not smoking.

A study by the Department of Family Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, found that only eight percent of those studied adhered to all five healthy habits, down from 15 percent 18 years ago.

The study is a comparison of data taken from two different studies by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The first study involved 7,340 people aged 40 to 74 and was administered from 1988-1994. The second group studied involved 7,811 people of the same ages and was administered from 2001 to 2006.

In the 18-year interim, researchers found that 51 percent of the respondents were drinking moderate amounts of alcohol, up from 40 percent in the first study group. The percentage of adults with a body mass index greater than 30 went up from 28 percent to 36 percent, and physical activity 12 times a month or more decreased from 53 to 43 percent.

Smoking rates remained pretty much the same (26.9 to 26.1 percent) during the time period, said the researchers, while those eating five or more fruits and vegetables a day decreased from 42 percent to 26 percent.

Scientists looked at adults aged 40 to 74 years because that age span is the primary time for initial diagnosis of cardiovascular risk factors and disease.

Lead researcher Dr. Dana King stated that “The potential public health benefits from promoting a healthier lifestyle at all ages, and especially ages 40 to 74 years are substantial.”

The study concluded that even people with risk factors such as high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes were no more likely to adhere to a healthy lifestyle than people without those risk factors.

King noted that regular physical activity and a prudent diet can reduce the risk of premature death, or disability from a number of conditions including heart disease.

“Research indicates that individuals are capable of adopting healthy habits in middle age and making an impact on cardiovascular risk,” said King.

The article appears in the June issue of the American Journal of Medicine.

(By Sheilah Downey, and edited by Heather Kelley)