Looking Older Than One's Age-A Health Risk

Looking younger than one's age can be a sign of good health and may prevent heart disease and heart attacks. 

The risk factors that make us sick  can also make us look older than we are, with a significant difference between the two ages.

A study that highlights the difference between our  biological(real) age and our chronological age found the people who look older that their age have a greater risk of developing heart disease.

The study used signs of aging such as receding hairlines at the temples, baldness at the crown of the head, earlobe creases, yellowish fatty deposits around the eyelids, wrinkles and tallying crow's feet.

Participants were 11,000 Danish people and began in 1976; they were 40 years old and over at the start of the study.

Researchers found that the risk for heart disease and heart attacks increased with each additional sign of aging. 

When compared with those who had none of the signs of aging, those with 3-4 of the signs had a 57% greater risk for a heart attack and 39% greater risk for heart disease.

Heart disease and heart attacks are non-communicable diseases, their main risk factors are: smoking, unhealthy eating, physical inactivity, overweight, hypertension and high cholesterol.

By reducing or eliminating these risk factors early in life, one can expect not only to prevent these diseases but  to look and feel younger.

Read more on the study.

Click for a program hat prepares people to promote health and longevity

Proper Hand Washing For Your health

How often do you wash your hands, or how well do you wash your hands?

A recent survey shows that most people do not wash their hands properly and not all the time.

The survey of 1,000 people showed that they were washing their hands an average of 87% of the time after using a public washroom; 62% reported washing their hands without using soap.

Proper hand washing is a protection for our health, to maintain optimum health it is important.

Here are some hand washing tips:

• Wash between fingers and under fingernails
• Wash for 20 seconds
• Use soap, not just water.
• Dry with paper towel or let dry naturally
• Avoid using shared towels for drying
• Use hand sanitizers that are at least 60% alcohol
• Wash hands after coughing and sneezing

When to wash hands
-After using public washrooms
-After handling garbage
-After handling garbage containers
-Before preparing or handling meals
-After looking after a sick person
-During coughs and colds

Read about the survey and more on how hand washing should be done in the
TheSpec.com