17 ways to live longer

	US scientists found that just thinking positively about ageing extends your life by 7.5 years

1 Eat dark chocolate

Great news for chocoholics – dark chocolate that contains 70 per cent cocoa or more is a rich source of antioxidants called flavanoids, which destroy cancer-causing free radicals. ‘These compounds protect plants against insects and pathogens,’ says Chang Lee of Cornell University, USA. ‘When we compared different beverages, cocoa turned out to be the highest in antioxidant activity.’ Chocolate also reduces cholesterol and boosts feel-good endorphins, but it’s high in saturatedfat so don’t scoff more than two bars a week.

2 Be optimistic

Here’s a depressing thought: gloomy people are thought to snuff it early. A study found that thinking positively about ageing extends your life by 7.5 years – more than the longevity obtained from low blood pressure or maintaining a healthy weight, according to scientists at Yale University, USA. ‘Negative self-perceptions can diminish life expectancy, while positive self-perceptions can increase it,’ say the scientists. It might be time to bin the Botox and celebrate those wrinkles.

3 Eat a balanced diet

Atkins lovers may be doing themselves damage, says nutritionist Donna McColgan from slimming website Cafe Slim. Instead she recommends a daily intake of the obligatory five portions of fruit and veg plus three balanced meals, all containing a starchy food. ‘Things like pasta, rice or potatoes stimulate the metabolism. If your body isn’t getting enough starchy foods it starts breaking down muscle, which is what happens on the Atkins diet,’ she says. Also eat plenty of fibre-rich wholegrain cereals, which have been proved to reduce the risk of heart disease and colon cancer.

4 Get just enough sleep

Eight hours’ sleep a night is too much, according to a group of researchers from the University of Nagoya, USA. They claim that seven hours is the optimum period and any more or less than that increases the risk of illness and an early death. Set those alarm clocks, chaps…

5 See your friends

Hanging out with your mates isn’t just fun, it may also lengthen your life. A recent study published in the British Medical Journal found that socialising makes you feel good, increases your sense of wellbeing and helps you cope with the pressures of life. Don’t be a Billy No Mates and lurk at home with your PlayStation – get out there and mingle.

6 Get married

Marriage has long been regarded as good for blokes’ mental and physical health – as long as you’re happily wed, of course. Numerous studies have shown that people who marry have a longer life expectancy, lower death rates and increased psychological wellbeing. And a recent University of London study found that marriage and cohabitation were especially beneficial for men.

7 Move to the country

According to The Office for National Statistics, countryside dwellers have a life expectancy of 84 years, as opposed to 76 for townies. And a recent study by researchers at Canada’s McMaster University found that just living next to a busy road could knock 2.5 years off your life. Co-author Murray Finkelstein explains: ‘Air pollution does not affect your lungs but your heart,’ he says, because pollution particles irritate arteries and can cause them to thicken and harden. So dust off that Barbour and take a course in horticulture.

8 Ditch the car

Those things attached to your hips are called legs and are very useful for walking, apparently. Recent research by the University of Helsinki found that a mere 30 minutes of walking every day can eradicate the risk of getting diabetes.

9 Eat leafy vegetables

Green leafy vegetables are packed with antioxidants and folic acid. Donna McColgan recommends eating them five times a week: ‘Folic acid significantly reduces your risk of heart disease,’ she says. ‘In fact, some cardiologists now prescribe it to treat heart conditions.’ Broccoli and other green leafy vegetables are packed with folic acid and varying types and quantities of antioxidants.

10 Practise yoga

While we love pounding that treadmill, it’s worth trying a mellower form of exercise. ‘The long-term health benefits of yoga are that it’s a gentle, non-damaging form of physical exercise. It also provides muscular strength, flexibility, joint mobility and strong bones,’ says Peter Falloon-Goodhew of London’s Yoga Therapy Centre. ‘Stress is a contributing factor to heart disease and high blood pressure, and yoga is good at relieving stress,’ he says.

11 Give up smoking

Quitting smoking at 30 virtually eliminates the risk of dying prematurely, and giving up at 50 halves it. Ditching the evil weed at 60, 50, 40 or 30 buys you respectively three, six, nine or ten years of life expectancy. ‘The bad news is that smoking is even better than we thought at killing people. The good news is that stopping smoking gives you more years of life than we had hoped,’ says Professor Richard Peto.

12 Avoid heavy boozing

Everyone likes the odd tipple, but heavy drinking wreaks havoc on your body. In addition to cirrhosis of the liver and high blood pressure, Alcohol Concern says excessive boozing causes mouth and throat cancers, stomach ulcers, damage to the nervous system and anaemia. And let’s not forget about the pride-damaging issues of impotence and reduced fertility. So how much is too much? The average man shouldn’t exceed 21 units a week – around one and a half pints of beer a day – while bingeing is a definite no-no. But…

13 Drink a little red wine

A glass of red wine a day is good for you, because it’s rich in antioxidants called polyphenols. Researchers at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, USA, found that a glass of wine a day cuts the risk of heart disease by 25 per cent. It also raises levels of HDL, the ‘good’ cholesterol, and helps prevent blood clots. So drinking red wine in moderation is better for you than being teetotal. Cheers.

14 Have a good laugh

We all like a good joke, but did you know that the immune system loves laughter? When we laugh, cells that produce antibodies increase, as do T cells and natural killer cells that attack viruses. People who belly laugh also have lower-than-average blood pressure and a decreased risk of heart disease. Laughter can even benefit digestion and it’s a great workout for your diaphragm and abdominal muscles to boot.

15 Feast on fish

Omega 3 oil is one of nature’s miracle foods. Best obtained from oily fish, such as fresh tuna, salmon and mackerel, it’ll keep you going for years. ‘It’s an anti-thrombetic, so it helps avoid blood clotting, heart disease and strokes, and anecdotal evidence has even shown it increases your sex drive,’ says Donna McColgan.

16 Drink green tea

It’s those antioxidants again – green tea is bursting with them. ‘Normal tea does contain flavonoids, but they are much more highly concentrated in green tea. It’s also very low in caffeine,’ says McColgan. Recent research has show that it can even stop you going bald, so you’ll have a full head of hair to go with those extra years.

17 Eat like an Okinawan

We’ve saved the best for last. Okinawa is bristling with centenarians and life expectancy is in the high eighties. Why? It’s down to their low-calorie diet, which is rich in soya and coral calcium – available from Okinawa and your local health food shops. Scientists at the US National Institute of Health tested the Okinawa lifestyle on rhesus monkeys, giving them 30 per cent less calories – they lived for the equivalent of 114 human years. So live for ages, be hungry all the time and eat soggy soya, or die young and munch lots of burgers. It’s your choice.