Table 1 Hazard ratios (r) associated with specific behaviours derived from recent epidemiological studies, translated into ‘changes in effective age’ (t) through the formula t ≈ 10 ln(r)
From: How old are you, really? Communicating chronic risk through ‘effective age’ of your body and organs
Exposure/behaviour | Estimated hazard ratio r | Change in effective age if behaviour present (years) | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
Smoking 20 cigarettes a day | 2.20 | +8 | [30] |
Eating 50 g processed meat a day | 1.18 | +2 | [31] |
Watching 2 h of TV a day | 1.08 | +1 | [32] |
An extra 5 units of BMI (Kg/m2) above 25. | 1.29 | +3 | [33] |
Minimal exercise (compared to inactivity) | 0.82 | −2 | [34] |
Further exercise (compared to minimal) | 0.92 | −1 | [34] |
Eating fruit and vegetables (per 2 portions a day) | 0.90 | −1 | [35] |
Taking statins (higher-risk patients) | 0.91 | −1 | [36] |