A new study has recently identified the top 10 social and behavioral traits associated with mortality.
Although there has been plenty of research linking mortality to various habits and lifestyle factors, scientists at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada — in collaboration with colleagues from other institutions — have identified the 10 factors most likely to lead to death.
The research aimed to better understand the stagnation in life expectancy occurring in the United States over the past 3 decades compared with other industrialized countries.
According to the study, the top three factors most closely connected to death are smoking, experiencing divorce, and having engaged in alcohol misuse.
The full list of the top 10 factors that most strongly predict death is as follows: smoking (currently), history of divorce, history of alcohol misuse, recent financial difficulties, history of unemployment, smoking (previously), lower life satisfaction, never having been married, history of using food stamps, negative affectivity.
Biological and medical factors are likely part of the reason, and advances in medicine that aim to address these factors continue. The roles of social, psychological, economic, and behavioral factors in life expectancy are less well understood, and researchers often study them in isolation.
This means that it is unclear which of these nonmedical factors are the strongest predictors of mortality risk — a knowledge gap the new study hoped to fill.
WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF EATING TOO MUCH SUGAR? In the short-term, eating too much sugar may contribute to acne, weight gain, and tiredness. In the long-term, too much sugar increases the risk of chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010-2015, on average, Americans consume 17 teaspoons (tsp) of added sugar each day. This adds up to 270 calories.However, the guidelines advise that people limit added sugars to less than 10% of their daily calorie intake. For a daily intake of 2,000 calories, added sugar should account for fewer than 200 calories.
Some people experience the following symptoms after consuming sugar: Low energy levels: A 2019 study found that 1 hour after sugar consumption, participants felt tired and less alert than a control group, low mood: A 2017 prospective study found that higher sugar intake increased rates of depression and mood disorder in males.
