With a healthy lifestyle, men can live to 120

SCIENTISTS say that with one careful owner, the male body could live for 120 years. 

Yet one man in five is dying before the age of 65. Many of those deaths are preventable, so this year’s Men’s Health Week (June 15-21) is focusing on healthy lifestyle.

The Men’s Health Forum (MHF), which organises the week, says men are less likely than women to lead a healthy lifestyle, and are more likely to smoke, drink alcohol to hazardous levels and be overweight or obese.

These habits can cause cancer, heart disease and stroke, and men are 30% more likely to die from cancer than women.

But a healthy lifestyle can significantly reduce the risk of these conditions. “It’s about creating a culture change,” says Colin Fowler, director of operations for MHF Ireland.

“The problem is not that men are not interested in their health, but, actually, sometimes they don’t get the right information in the right way.”

MHF has produced a 32-page Man Manual on men’s health choices.

Adopting a healthy lifestyle isn’t as easy as it sounds — but small changes can make a big difference. Here are the simple lifestyle changes men should make to live longer.

n Don’t smoke: Everyone knows smoking’s bad for your health, but it can be tough to quit. The MHF suggests that you list all of your reasons for quitting and that you set your quit day in advance, before disposing of all your smoking paraphernalia.

Quit with a friend, and avoid smokers and places or circumstances in which you usually smoke.

n Drink sensibly: Too much alcohol damages nearly every organ in the body, and it’s linked to heart disease, nerve damage, liver disease, depression, erectile dysfunction, cancer and digestive problems.

The MHF suggests that to cut down on drinking, a man’s first drink on an evening out should be a ‘soft one’, and thereafter he should have drinks with reduced alcohol content. Plus, don’t get into rounds, and if there’s a situation in which you always drink, for example after work, stop.

n Be active: People who do regular physical activity have a 35% lower risk of heart disease and stroke and a 50% lower risk of diabetes and bowel cancer. Exercise boosts the feel-good chemicals that raise self-esteem and help sleep and concentration, and it also lowers the risk of depression and dementia by 30%.

n Watch your weight: Being overweight or obese is linked to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers. But, like quitting smoking, it’s not easy to lose weight and stick to a healthy diet for life.

The MHF suggests starting with a decent breakfast, and then, for main meals, fill half your plate with salad or vegetables, a quarter with protein (like lean meat, fish, eggs or beans), and a quarter with starchy carbs (like brown rice, wholewheat pasta, baked potato or noodles).

Aim for your five fruit and vegetable portions a day, and make sure you get some dairy to keep calcium levels up. Also, think about smart substitutions — fish instead of red meat, grilling instead of frying, wholegrain instead of white bread, pasta or rice, and semi-skimmed milk instead of full-fat.

• For more information on Men’s Health Week, visit www.mhfi.org