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)

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]