If you still refuse to believe your vices are subtracting years off your life, a handful of Canadian researchers are ready to prove you wrong.
In new study published in the journal PLOS Medicine, Doug Manuel, senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital, notes bad habits like drinking, smoking, eating a poor diet and failing to exercise can shave off six years of your life.
And, as CTV news reports, the healthiest lifestyles can live 17.9 years longer than those with bad vices.
Vices like smoking, drinking and unhealthy eating are also responsible for 50 per cent of the deaths in Canada. According to 2009-2010 data from ICES and Statistics Canada:
- 26 per cent of all deaths in Canada are attributed to smoking
- 24 per cent of all deaths in Canada are attributed to physical inactivity
- 12 per cent of all deaths in Canada are attributed to poor diet
- 0.4 per cent of all deaths in Canada are attributed to unhealthy alcohol consumption
As the researchers noted, the highest health risk for men is smoking, while women are at greater risk for inactivity, CBC reports.
To help find out what your risks are, and to get an estimate on your life expectancy, Manuel and his team created an online calculator to help the public learn more about their health status. The calculator, which can be found at ProjectBigLife.ca, takes into consideration your age, location, food choices, drinking and smoking habits as well as your stress levels.
Based on the data you supply the calculator can estimate how long you will live as well as the current age of your health. The calculator also has options to determine how much sodium you are consuming, your risk of a stroke, and the cost of your future health care.
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