47 lifesaving tips for a healthy future.

The more doctors learn about longevity, the more they appreciate the role lifestyle plays in determining health. Research indicates that as much as 70 percent of longevity may be attributed to lifestyle factors--not genes.

What can you do to improve your odds? Here's what a number of medical experts say on the subject:

Beat Heart Disease

You can help your body ward off heart disease--the number one killer of both men and women.

1. Get your cholesterol tested if you haven't in the past five years. Ideally, your total cholesterol level should be less than 200 mg./dl.; your HDL (the "good" cholesterol) 35 mg./dl. or higher; and your LDL (the "bad" cholesterol) less than 130 mg./dl.

2. If your total cholesterol is more than 200, set your mind on making lifestyle changes to bring it down, says Michael E. DeBakey, M.D., a distinguished professor of surgery at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

3. Limit fat to no more than 300 percent of calories, say major health organizations, such as the American Heart Association.

4. Get your blood pressure checked every two years if yours is normal. If it's high, have it checked yearly.

5. If you have high cholesterol and want to go on or stay on the Pill, ask your doctor about formulations that can lower the LDL and raise the HDL.

6. Post a chart illustrating emergency procedures--such as CPR and the Heimlich maneuver--on the refrigerator. For information on learning these techniques, call the American Heart Association at [phone].

Fight Cancer

Although your genes and the environment play a part in your overall cancer risk, your health habits also determine whether you'll develop it.

7. If you smoke, quit. Smoking is a leading cause of many types of cancer, as well as heart disease. Talk to your doctor about nicotine replacement therapies, such as nicotine gum, patch and nasal spray, as well as Zyban, an antidepressant that research suggests can minimize withdrawal symptoms, even in people who aren't depressed.

8. To check for cervical cancer, women who are sexually active or over 18 should have a yearly Pap test and pelvic exam.

9. Women should get clinical breast exams every three years between the ages of 20 and 39, and yearly if they're 40 or older, according to the American Cancer Society.

10. The American Cancer Society suggests that women perform breast self-examinations monthly, starting in their 20s. "Lumps that are especially worrisome feel like wood--not round, smooth, and squishy like a grape," says Susan Haas, M.D., chief of the Harvard Vanguard Division of OB/GYN at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

11. If you're 40 or older, have a yearly mammogram; if you're not yet 40, but may be at increased risk for breast cancer because of having close relatives who have had the disease, having had it yourself, or having had precancerous breast lesions, talk to your doctor about starting earlier.

12. If you suspect you're at high risk for breast cancer, talk to your doctor about tamoxifen, a drug that studies suggest may reduce your risk. It has, however, been linked to blood clots in the lungs and major veins, and uterine cancer, so you and your doctor will need to consider your overall health profile.

13. At menopause, women at high risk for uterine cancer should have a sample of endometrial tissue examined for dysplasia (irregular cell growth that may be cancerous).

14. To screen for colon and rectal cancer, the American Cancer Society recommends that men and women ages 50 and older undergo either a fecal occult blood test yearly and a flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years; or a colonoscopy or double-contrast barium enema every five to 10 years. When you have any of these tests, the doctor should perform a digital rectal exam.

15. Men ages 50 and older should undergo a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test and a digital rectal examination yearly to screen for prostate cancer.

16. To get a sense of your cancer risk, "find out the types of cancer that occurred in your family and bring this to the attention of your physician," says Henry T. Lynch, M.D., director of the Creighton Cancer Center in Omaha, Nebraska. If your family history puts you at higher risk, you may need to be screened more often.

17. Learn the health threats your job may pose, such as exposure to carcinogenic materials like asbestos. Do what you can to minimize the danger, such as wearing a safety mask when working near the substance.

Defeat Diabetes

About 16 million Americans have diabetes, roughly 5.4 million of whom have not been diagnosed. Untreated, diabetes can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, even death. People with diabetes have abnormally high blood levels of glucose (blood sugar) because their bodies either can't release or correctly use insulin (a hormone meant to normalize glucose levels). Here's how to minimize, delay, or possibly even prevent diabetes, which adults are typically at risk for.

18. Don't gain weight. Most people who develop Type II diabetes are obese. "Excess weight makes your pancreas work harder to produce extra insulin," says Priscilla Hollander, M.D., an endocrinologist at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. Eventually your pancreas won't be able to keep up, insulin levels fall, and diabetes results when glucose builds up in the blood.

19. If you have diabetes and are overweight, shed just 10 to 15 pounds, and you can improve your symptoms and prevent some of the complications.

20. After age 45, have a fasting blood glucose test every three years to gauge the amount of glucose in your blood (126 mg./dl, or more indicates diabetes); if you're at increased risk for diabetes, your doctor will advise you to have one yearly.

Protect Your Bones

Osteoporosis makes bones brittle and apt to break, but there may be ways of preventing it, or at least staving it off.

21. Postmenopausal women at increased risk for osteoporosis should consider having a bone mineral density (BMD) test. In general, a standard deviation (SD) reading of -1 to -2.5 indicates low bone mass; a -2.5 or more is considered osteoporosis.

22. If you're postmenopausal and your bone mass is low, talk to your doctor about hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and raloxifene (Evista), a new "designer estrogen" that may also help prevent osteoporosis. Both HRT and raloxifene may, however, have other benefits and/or risks for you, which you and your doctor will need to consider before making a decision.

Boost Brainpower

Here's what you can do to keep your memory strong.

23. Take part in a wide range of activities to improve the connection between nerve cells in the brain that relay messages. If you work with numbers, you might spend your spare time doing ceramics, writing, or painting to protect against mental decline.

24. Tackle routine mental tasks (such as balancing the checkbook) in your head, instead of delegating them to a calculator.

25. Eat plenty of foods high in the antioxidant vitamins, such as C (found in oranges), E (found in nuts), and betacarotene (found in acorn squash). They may protect cells in the brain responsible for memory by blocking the attack of free radicals (unstable oxygen molecules).

Shun the Sun

Skin cancer is on the rise, yet it's one of the most preventable forms of cancer. If you spent time in the sun as a child, you can't take it back. But you can minimize further damage.

26. Thirty minutes before going outside, apply a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 on all exposed skin. Even if you're going out for just 10 minutes, sun damage is cumulative. "Every 10 minutes counts," says Steven Victor, M.D., a dermatologist in private practice in New York City.

27. Don't forget the sunscreen in winter or on cloudy days. The sun's rays still penetrate and harm the skin.

28. Don't rely on sunscreens entirely. For best protection, also wear a wide-brimmed hat, long pants, and long sleeves on sunny days.

29. Wear sunglasses that block 99 to 100 percent of both UVA and UVB light year-round to protect your eyes from the sun. If you wear prescription glasses, have the lenses covered with a UV coating.

30. Take the same precautions with your children. Apply sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 to all of their exposed skin, and have them wear sunglasses whenever they're out in the sun.

31. Learn the ABCDs of melanoma (cancerous skin tumors). Check your moles once yearly in the mirror. Are they asymmetrical (one half of the mole doesn't match the other)? Are the borders notched, ragged, or blurred? Is the color not uniform or intensely black? Is the diameter greater than one quarter of an inch? If so, or if you notice something you think is questionable, see a dermatologist immediately. Catching cancer early could save your life.

Supercharge Your Diet

Your immunity to disease declines with age, says Jeffrey Blumberg, a professor of nutrition at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, unless you take action.

32. To protect against high cholesterol, certain cancers, and diabetes (among other serious health problems) get more fiber in your diet by eating plenty of whole grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits.

33. Eat a varied diet to get all the vitamins and minerals you need to protect against disease.

34. Instead of fattier animal proteins (such as beef), eat more soy foods. Research suggests that tofu and other soy foods may reduce your risk of heart disease, certain cancers, and osteoporosis, as well as reducing menopausal symptoms.

35. Men and women ages 19 to 50 are supposed to take 1,000 milligrams of calcium daily, 1,200 milligrams of calcium after age 50. But since most women don't get enough calcium from their diets, they should, according to Dr. Blumberg, take a supplement. Choose one that also contains vitamin D.

36. To protect against cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and cataracts, take a multivitamin that contains 400 micrograms of folic acid and a vitamin E supplement containing 100 to 400 IU.

37. Don't overload on vitamins and minerals. Too much of some--such as vitamin B6--can be dangerous.

Minimize Stress

You can keep stress from getting the best of you and having a negative impact on your health.

38. Work to keep the friends you have, but make new ones, too. The more social connections you have, the better off your health may be.

39. Be spiritual. Studies show that people involved in spiritual activities such as churchgoing tend to fare better healthwise, says Marry Sullivan, M.D., codirector of the Integrative Medicine Initiative at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. You can reap benefits by getting involved in something you care about deeply.

40. Help others. But don't just donate money to charity. Studies show you'll derive health benefits only if you get personally involved.

41. Don't skimp on sleep, or your ability to cope with stress will be impaired.

42. Don't stay in a job you hate. Studies show that not liking your job can put you at risk for heart disease.

43. Don't do too many things at once. Learn to prioritize your activities into an A (important), B (important but not critical), and C (not important) list. Do A things first, and reprioritize daily.

44. Pace yourself. Your body and mind need time to rejuvenate.

Stay Young

To maintain youthful stamina and energy, you must exercise. Without it, you'll lose 30 to 40 percent of your muscle mass between the ages of 30 and 70.

45. Stay young and independent through strength training. "Aerobic exercise is not enough," says Robert Butler, M.D., chief executive officer of the International Longevity Center at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. Be sure to work all of the major muscle groups in your arms, legs, and trunk.

46. Stretch after you exercise to prevent injury and stay flexible. Hold each stretch for 15 seconds without bouncing.

47. To live to a healthy, ripe old age, expend at least 1,000 calories a week exercising (the equivalent of walking briskly four miles a day five times a week). Studies show, however, that even moderate physical activity increases longevity.

Statement of Ownership

Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation of Vibrant Life (Publication No. 312-160), published bimonthly at 55 West Oak Ridge Dr., Hagerstown, MD 21740. Annual subscription price $16.95. The names and addresses of the publisher, editor, and managing editor are: Publisher, Review and Herald[R] Publishing Association, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740; Editor: Larry Becker, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740. Managing Editor: None. The owner is the Review and Herald[R] Publishing Association, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740; a nonprofit, charitable corporation. There are no bondholders, mortgagees, or other security holders owning or holding 1 percent or more of the total amount of bonds, mortgages, or other securities.

Average number copies each issue during preceding 12 months *

Total number of copies printed
  40,500
Paid circulation to paid subscribers
  26,575
Free distribution
  750
Total number of copies distributed
  27,877

Single issue nearest to filing date *

Total number of copies printed
  42,000
Paid circulation to paid subscribers
  27,590
Free distribution
  753
Total number of copies distributed
  30,470

I certify that my statements above are correct and complete

Larry Becker Vice President, Periodical Division

* These figures are U.S. postal figures only.

Sandra Gordon is the coauthor of Global Eating: The 30 Secrets of the World's Healthiest and Most Delicious Cuisines (John Wiley and Sons, 2000).