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9 Numbers That Can Extend Your Life

From how many hours you should watch TV to how much soda you should drink

by Jessica Migala, AARP The Magazine, February/March 2015

  • Bingo machine numbers balls, Health Numbers You Need to Know
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    Winning Numbers

    En español l You won’t get a Powerball payout, but hit these digits and chances are you’ll gain something more valuable: lifelong health!

    1 of 12
  • Woman in bed with flu, tissues, Health Numbers You Need to Know
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    2.7: days you should stay home with the flu

    Anything less and you risk infecting coworkers, a study finds. Sixty percent of workers go to the office when they’re sick.

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  • Health Numbers You Need to Know: They're Not What You Think
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    2: hours of TV you can safely watch each day

    Too much tube time increases the concentration of triglycerides in your blood and lowers HDL (“good”) cholesterol. That can harm your heart.

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  • A basket of vegetables, Health Numbers You Need to Know, 7 daily servings of fruits and vegetables
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    7+: ideal daily servings of fruits and veggies

    That’s more than the five a day you’re used to, but the extra amount can reduce your risk of early death by 42 percent, says a British study.

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  • Man feeling pulse, Health Numbers You Need to Know, heartbeats over normal
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    60 to 100: heartbeats per minute at rest

    A gain of just 10 beats per minute over normal increases your risk of dying from heart disease by 10 to 18 percent, a new study finds.

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    6 of 12
  • Man reaches for Alarm clock, Nine Numbers Extend Life, 7 Hours Sleep Needed
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    7: hours of sleep per night you need to control weight

    In a study of more than 21,000 healthy adults, those who slept five hours or less per night were 50 percent more likely to become obese, compared with those who logged a full night’s rest.

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  • Highway traffic on a wet road at night, Nine Numbers Extend Life, Commute Drive Traffic Highway
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    20: most miles you should drive to work — round trip — each day

    Longer commutes are associated with higher blood pressure, more worrying and chronic stress, a study on commuting and health finds. (Did we really need a study?)

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  • Salt shaker on side, Nine Numbers Extend Life, Sodium Salt Table Daily
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    1,500: maximum amount of sodium, in milligrams, an average adult should consume daily

    Three-quarters of the salt in your diet comes from processed foods, so sub in fresh whole foods to lower blood pressure.

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  • Woman measures her waist, Nine Numbers Extend Life ,Waist Ratio Height Measure
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    1:2: healthiest ratio, waist to height

    A bigger waist increases your risk of developing metabolic syndrome (a cluster of factors including high blood pressure and cholesterol), which in turn raises the chance of heart disease and stroke.

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  • Soda in a glass over ice, staw, Nine Numbers Extend Life, Sugar Soda Drink Cans
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    0: number of cans of sugar-laden soda you can safely drink

    Just one 12-ounce can a day raises your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 18 percent, according to a recent study.

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