Lifestyle

Eating is essential for life, while lifestyle and diet are a choice. And diet and lifestyle are strongly influenced by the culture, by time and place: how much you work, what you drink or whether you smoke. Or whether you live in a flat country like The Netherlands or a hilly area like Crete. The lifestyle factors investigated in the Seven Countries Study were those that could be measured in all cohorts. Some of the lifestyle findings were a surprise.

List of findings on lifestyle and cardiovascular disease:

Cardiovascular risk factors and long-term all-cause mortality

In the FINE Study the relations of classic cardiovascular risk factors with subsequent all-cause mortality were investigated in men aged 65-84 at baseline.

Cardiovascular risk factors and long-term all-cause mortality

Physical activity and disability

The results suggest that even in old age among relatively healthy men, a physically active lifestyle was inversely related to disability.

Physical activity and disability

Lifestyle, diet and optimism

A healthy diet, especially eating more fruit, vegetables, and whole grain bread was related to a higher level of optimism.

Lifestyle, diet and optimism

Depressive symptoms, physical inactivity and cardiovascular disease

Physical inactivity may be the intermediate factor in the relation between depressive symptoms and cardiovascular disease.

Depressive symptoms, physical inactivity and cardiovascular disease

Lifestyle factors and depressive symptoms

In elderly men, mild physical activity and moderate alcohol intake may lower the risk of depressive symptoms.

Lifestyle factors and depressive symptoms

Marital status, living situation and cognitive decline

Men who were married or who lived with others were at a lower risk of dementia compared with those living alone.

Marital status, living situation and cognitive decline

Coffee, alcohol, smoking and cognitive decline

The results suggest that in elderly men without chronic diseases, smoking and drinking were not related to cognitive decline.

Coffee, alcohol, smoking and cognitive decline

Cardiovascular risk factors and dementia

Men with a history of CVD at baseline had a 94% higher risk of dementia compared to those with no history.

Cardiovascular risk factors and dementia

Alcohol, all-cause mortality and long-term survival

Long-term all-cause mortality was 25% lower in men who drank less than 20 g alcohol per day compared to non-drinkers.

Alcohol, all-cause mortality and long-term survival

Smoking, all-cause mortality and long-term survival

Smoking was associated with all-cause mortality, but the strength of that association varied between cultures.

Smoking, all-cause mortality and long-term survival

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Origin & development

History

Study design

Measurements

Countries

Investigators

Related studies

Sponsors

Coordination

The 7 Countries

Country Trends

Cross-cultural findings

Country Trends

Lifestyle

List of findings on lifestyle and cardiovascular disease: