Staying healthy longer

At 35, you're a smoker, you're stressed, you eat processed foods and you're desperately short of sleep... you may have a higher biological age than a 50-year-old who has adopted healthy habits all her life.

According to a study presented this week at the American Heart Association meeting in Philadelphia, your biological age can be 6 years younger than your actual age, if you follow eight healthy lifestyle habits.

Good cardiovascular health reduces the risk of developing chronic diseases and other age-related pathologies. And therefore extends healthy life expectancy.

Researchers measured the biological age of 6,500 adults between 2015 and 2018, with the results of nine different blood tests that check various markers such as sugar levels, inflammation and kidney functionhttps://newsroom.heart.org/news/following-lifes-essential-8-checklist-may-slow-biological-aging-by-6-years

Participants with good cardiovascular health were younger than physiologically expected. In contrast, those with poor health were older than their age.

Here are the "8 essentials" for staying in shape: Eat better, Be physically active, Sleep well, Maintain a "healthy" weight, Control cholesterol, Monitor blood sugar, Regulate blood pressure, Don't smoke.