Improve your life expectancy

October 4, 2013 by Olufemi Oboye (drfemioboye@yahoo.com) 

   

Dr Olufemi Oboye
| credits: File copy

Dear readers,

I  use this medium to wish you a happy independence anniversary. It is interesting to note that our country, at 53 years of age, also has the estimated life expectancy of a Nigerian, according to a World Health Organisation statistics stating life expectances of nations.

Life expectancy is the expectation, in the statistical sense, of the number of years a person is expected to live. These figures are based on an average of the combination of high infant mortality and deaths from accidents, epidemics, plagues, acts of terrorism, wars and child birth.

According to a 2011 WHO statistics, the values of the average life expectancy of individuals are based on the countries they live. Such countries include Japan and Switzerland (83 years), Italy, Spain, France and Canada (82 years), Germany, United Kingdom (80 years), United States (79 years), Tunisia, China, Saudi Arabia (76 years), Egypt, Algeria, Iran (76 years), Ghana (64 years),  Ethiopia, Kenya (60 years), Togo, Ivory Coast, Niger (56 years),  Nigeria and Cameroon (53 years). The country at the bottom of the ranking is Sierra Leone (47 years).

These statistics imply that people are likely to live longest in developed countries with state- funded health care systems, like in Japan, China and the United Kingdom. However, one major challenge facing the health care system in Nigeria is corruption — the misuse of power for private gains.

The adverse effects of corruption kill more people than diseases in Nigeria and have resulted in the disheartening statistics of life expectancy, infant mortality and preventable diseases.

Rather than scare us, these figures should challenge us to make issues that can affect our life expectancy a priority, so that we can live a long, rewarding and fulfilling life.

Some factors that can have a great impact on our life expectancy include:

Environmental pollution

When people breathe in toxic fumes, eat food laced with toxic chemicals, and drink water that has traces of toxic chemicals in it, they are bound to get sick or die prematurely.

Some sources of pollution in Nigeria include but are not limited to oil spills, gas flaring, industrial pollution, smoky fog (a type of air pollution), incineration of tyres and other harmful materials, open and decomposing thrash dumps and clogged drainage channels.

Food

To maintain good health, prevent disease and increase life expectancy, it’s imperative that you eat a balanced diet that contains carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins, mineral salts and fibre.

Carbohydrates are your body’s preferred source of fuel for your muscles, brain and nervous system. Foods containing carbohydrates include rice, yam, potatoes, wheat, oats, cassava, etc.

Fats provide energy and help you absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Fats are necessary for hormone production, insulation and protection of vital organs. Foods rich in fat include coconut, palmoil, nuts and seeds, cheese, etc.

Proteins are made up of amino acids that are essential for growth, maintenance and repair of body tissue, and other vital processes. Sources of protein include meat, beans, groundnut, eggs, fish and dairy products.

Vitamins are organic compounds that come from plants, and are considered micronutrients, because we only need them in small amounts to support a number of vital metabolic functions. Sources of vitamins include pawpaw, carrot, banana, orange, pineapple, apple, etc.

Minerals are inorganic elements that support numerous metabolic processes that go on in your body. Examples include sodium, iron, potassium, calcium, etc.

It is also very important that you drink water regularly because it is fundamental to human and animal health. Water helps to regulate body temperature and facilitates digestion. Water is continually being lost from your body through sweat, urine, faeces and your breath; so it must be continually replenished.

Drugs

To increase our life expectancy, we need to avoid self medication and unorthodox use of drugs. Follow the prescriptions of a qualified and experienced medical doctor.

Stress

Stress is a silent killer. There is a link between stress and lower life expectancy. If you take time to rest, you will not need as much pain killers, antibiotics and anti-malarial drugs as much as you do now. Chronic stress can lower immunity and make people more susceptible to infection. Stress symptoms can affect your body, thoughts, feelings and behaviour. If left unchecked, the effects of stress on your body include headache, muscle tension or pain, chest pain, fatigue, change in sex drive, sleeping problems, etc.

On your mood, symptoms of stress include anxiety, restlessness, anger, sadness or depression. Symptoms of stress on your behaviour include overeating, undereating, drug abuse or social withdrawal.

Take out time to rest despite your busy schedule. Don’t overstress yourself on that job, because if your health fails, you will be replaced immediately because nobody is irreplaceable. Nature abhors vacuum.

Invest some time in your health. Go for routine medical checkups.  Purchase do-it-yourself medical gadgets to monitor your blood pressure and weight.

Enroll in an aerobics class or get a personal fitness coach/instructor. Take time out to walk, jog or do some exercise. Once in a while, while at work, use the stairway and not the elevator. Eat healthy.

You can live a long, rewarding and fulfilling life if you make your health matters a priority. Let us be health-wise. We need good health to enjoy our wealth.

Have a splendid weekend.