The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says avoidable behaviors like cigarette use, poor diet and lack of exercise are the underlying cause of half of the deaths in the United States. A new study finds it's never too late to gain health benefits by knocking off such bad habits.

During a five-year study, researchers tested the walking speeds of 2,000 people who either smoke, were smokers, or had never smoked. Current smokers walked more slowly than those who had stopped. The findings will be presented next week at the American Geriatrics Society's Annual Meeting.

The results suggest that even at an older age, changing bad habits such as smoking can positively impact a senior's health later in life. Study leader Alison Moore of the American Geriatrics Society this week suggested five bad habits that should be halted if you wish to live longer. -- LiveScience Staff

5、Bad Food Choices

weight can cause multiple health problems and complications, including diabetes, heart disease and stroke, Moore said. We'd like to add that it can cause reduced sex desire. Substituting good carbohydrates (sweet potatoes, wheat bread, brown rice) for bad carbohydrates (white potatoes, white bread, white rice) and adding lean proteins, while limiting foods with high fat and sugar contents, will help seniors maintain a healthy weight, she said. Not bad advice for Junior, either.

4、Smoking and Drinking

Smoking and excessive alcohol intake is proven to have negative health effects on a person at any age, but seniors who smoke and drink regularly increase their chances of more advanced medical problems. The effects of many medications are altered when mixed with alcohol, which can pose serious health risks, especially for seniors taking multiple medications, Moore said. Smoking, like obesity, will also curb your sex life.

3、Couch Potato

Syndrome As people age, they often slow down and feel like they can't do as much as they did when they were young. While physical activity sometimes becomes restricted due to health ailments, that doesn't mean the brain needs to slow down. There are a variety of activities seniors can do to keep their minds focused and sharp, including word puzzles, interactive games, joining a book club or participating in other social and volunteer activities, Moore said. We recently published this helpful summary: 10 Ways to Keep Your Mind Sharp.

2、Messing Up Medications

The majority of seniors are on multiple medications and sometimes find it difficult or too bothersome to remember when and which medications to take each day. As a result, some seniors "adjust" their daily medication routine without talking to their physicians, Moore notes. To help keep medications organized and alleviate frustration, seniors should use weekly or monthly pill boxes and have a family member or friend help them fill pill boxes on a regular basis or make a color coded chart to help keep track of their pills and the times they need to be taken, she said.

1、Lack of Exercise

Keeping physically active is integral to keeping the heart, mind and bones healthy. For some seniors, physical restrictions make exercise a challenge, but there are still small ways to incorporate physical activity into a daily routine, such as parking further away from the store to get in a short walk. And, programs such as yoga, Pilates or Tai Chi can help with balance and weight loss and can be adapted to all levels of physical ability, Moore said. While it's not yet clear what role exercise plays in weight loss, it is soundly proven to pack a host of health benefits, including helping to keep the mind sharp.

美國疾病預防控制中心表示：在美國，有一半的死亡是受到吸煙、不合理飲食以及缺乏運動等行為的潛在影響，而這些行為是可以避免的。一項最新研究發(fā)現，要使健康受益，任何時候戒除這些壞習慣都不算晚。

在一項為期5年的研究中，研究者們對2000個吸煙者、已戒煙者和從不吸煙者的行走速度進行了測試。尚在吸煙者比已戒煙者的行走速度要慢很多。這些發(fā)現將于下周舉行的美國老年病學會年會上公布。

這些研究結果顯示，即使年歲已長，改掉吸煙等壞習慣仍能對老年人晚年的健康產生積極影響。本周，領導這項研究的美國老年病學會的艾莉森-摩爾(Alison Moore) 提出了五個應該戒除的壞習慣——如果你想活得長一點兒的話。——《科學現場》編者

第五項：不合理飲食

艾莉森-摩爾表示，肥胖可以導致多種健康問題和并發(fā)癥，包括糖尿病、心臟病和中風。而我們想增加一點，那就是肥胖還會導致性欲減退。艾莉森-摩爾說，用“好碳水化合物”（比如紅薯、全麥面包、糙米）替代“壞碳水化合物”（比如土豆、白面包、白米），增加瘦肉蛋白，同時限制高脂肪、高糖食物，將會幫助老年人保持健康的體重。

這對年輕人來說也不失為一個好建議。

第四項：吸煙和飲酒

吸煙和過量飲酒被證明對任何年齡的人的健康都有負面影響，但是那些習慣吸煙和飲酒的老年人們面臨更多、更復雜的藥物問題。艾莉森-摩爾說，許多藥物與酒精混合后效果會改變，這會為老年人尤其是服用多種藥物的老年人帶來嚴重的健康風險。

第三項：沙發(fā)土豆綜合癥

當年紀漸長時，人們常常會行動遲緩，并且覺得自己無法再象年輕時那樣做很多事。雖然身體的活動有時候會因健康問題而受到限制，但是這并不意味著腦子也要慢下來。艾莉森-摩爾說，老年人可以做很多事情以保持思維的集中和敏捷，比如填字游戲、互動游戲、參加讀書俱樂部或者參與其他社會活動和志愿活動。我們最近也發(fā)表過一篇有用的概述：保持思維敏捷的10個途徑。

第二項：用藥混亂

大多數老年人同時在服用多種藥物，有時候他們會覺得要記住每天在什么時候服用何種藥物是相當困難和麻煩的事。于是乎，一些老年人沒有與醫(yī)生商量就 “調整”了每日用藥程序。艾莉森-摩爾提醒說，要想使藥物組織有序，避免用藥困擾，老年人應該使用每周或每月藥片盒，并且需要一個親屬或者朋友幫助他們按照規(guī)律填滿藥盒，或者制作一個色碼表幫助他們了解何時該吃什么藥。

第一項：缺乏運動

堅持運動對于保持心臟、思維和骨骼的健康是不可或缺的。對一些老年人來說，身體狀況的約束使得體育鍛煉頗具挑戰(zhàn)性，但是仍然有些小辦法讓體育鍛煉成為日常活動的一部分。比如停車時離商場稍遠一些，這樣就可以進行一次小的徒步走。此外，一些運動項目比如瑜伽、普拉提或者太極拳可以幫助保持平衡性和減肥，對不同體質的人們來說都適用，摩爾說。

雖然目前還不清楚體育鍛煉在減肥中是如何發(fā)揮作用的，但是非常確定的是體育鍛煉對于健康好處多多，包括幫助保持思維敏捷。