45 tips that will help you live to 100 – and love it!

Before going on hormone replacement therapy, ask your doctor about the risks. According to authors of a 2019 study in Preventive Medicine Reports, women who enter menopause before age 45 raise their mortality risk by 31 per cent if they take hormones. Previous studies linked this therapy to cancer, heart attack, stroke and bone fractures.

Here are 9 surprising postmenopausal health risks you can’t ignore. 

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide. The new fecal immunochemical test (FIT) for precancerous changes is a simple diagnostic kit that can be used at home, with no special preparation. Ask your doctor to help you order your own.

Look out for these six silent signs of bowel cancer you could be ignoring. 

According to the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, people aged 40 to 75 were 87 per cent more likely to be dead of cardiovascular disease a couple of decades later if they never ate breakfast – even though they had no sign of the disease at the start of the study.

A Japanese study following over 70,000 people found that the more plant protein (like beans, seeds and whole grains) they included in their diet, the longer they stayed alive.

According to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, eating just one extra half-serving of red meat a day increases your risk of premature death by nine per cent over eight years. The risk is 13 per cent if the half-serving is processed.

If you’re trying to include more fish and seafood in your diet, good for you. But how you cook your meal matters – a lot. Data from the Nurses’ Health Study in the U.S. shows that eating a daily serving of fried fish makes you 13 per cent more likely to die from a heart-related cause. The lesson: opt for less fatty cooking techniques.

Research shows that many of us underestimate the risk of dehydration, which is linked to health problems and death. The right amount of fluid intake is unique to each individual, but if your urine is dark, you probably aren’t drinking enough.

A 2019 report from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health suggested that the more sugary drinks people have, the greater their chances of dying earlier, with the difference in risk being 21 per cent greater if you drink two or more of these beverages a day.

Here are 12 things that happen to your body if you stop drinking fizzy drinks. 

A 2019 French study following almost 45,000 middle-aged adults noted that people who consumed ultra-processed foods – that is, ready-to-serve products containing additives – had a higher rate of dying from any cause, not just cardiovascular disease.

To control kilojoules, you can trick yourself into eating less, says Maureen Dobbins, a professor in the School of Nursing at McMaster University. “We tend to overestimate portion sizes, and it’s partly driven by the size of the plate.”