Saturday, October 11, 2014

The Non-Dietary Component of Life Extension

Most discussions revolving around life extension and its current feasibility focus on individual dietary and training habits and also on various lifestyle aspects that may or may not lead to a good state of health, like optimal sleep hygiene, supplementation or regular medical check-ups and screenings. Obviously, all these factors have quite an impact on the extent of one's life. However, by placing them into the spotlight of any anti-aging attempt, we may run the risk of forgetting other equally important pieces of the longevity equation. 

Similarly to diet and exercise, this other component of life extension can also be placed under individual control and, as such, it is worth being mentioned for the same educational purposes. There are many things that we do everyday which are unrelated to the quality of our meals and which might exert an even bigger influence on the amount of healthy years that we can enjoy. Among these factors, our profession and our past time activities can greatly determine our life expectancy. Here is a list of those jobs, leisure occupations and habits that have been linked to diminished lifespans.

 Law enforcement jobs
 Construction work
 Long-haul truck driving
           Outdoor jobs, like logging and fishing
 Professional football 
           Professional wrestling
 Unemployment
           Long commutes
 Driving without a seat belt
 Sitting for more than 3 hours a day
 Watching television for more than 2 hours a day
 Poor education
           Being single for a prolonged period of time
 Weak social connections
 No sense of humor
 Thanatophobia or death anxiety


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