34 S MAGAZINE ★ 11 AUGUST 2019
Living by
numbers
Life is a lottery, the saying goes, but while we may not be able to
give you the top prize for this week’s draw, we can give you the crucial
digits that add up to a longer, healthier life... Words by Michele O’Connor
GETTY IMAGES120/70 mm/hg
The ideal blood pressure reading
is between 90/60 and 120/70,
according to the NHS. The first
figure shows systolic pressure – the
force of blood as the heart beats.
The second is diastolic – pressure
at its lowest, between beats. And
with more than half of all Brits
over the age of 40 suffering from
high blood pressure, regular
checks are advisable. Blood
pressure over 140/90 is high.5 mmol/L
The total amount of cholesterol
in our blood should be equal to
or less than this, says Dr Dane
Vishnubula, chief medical officer
for Active IQ (activeiq.co.uk).
“More specifically, your LDL
(low-density lipoprotein) should
be less than 3mmol/L and HDL
(high-density lipoprotein)
greater than 1mmol/L.”
LDL carries cholesterol around
the body and deposits
it as fat while HDL,
which brings it
back to the liver,
is seen as
protective.6 grams
To reduce the risk of developing
high blood pressure, six grams is
the maximum amount of salt you
should eat on a daily basis, says
Emma Dane, nutritionist at Power
Health (powerhealth.co.uk). Check
labels and avoid food with a
content of more than 1.5g of salt
(0.6g of sodium) per 100g.150 minutes
Two-and-a-half hours is the time
adults should spend in moderate
aerobic exercise – cycling, brisk
walking – each week. Ideally, the
activity should be in bursts of 30
minutes over five days.
Alternatively, combine 75 minutes
of vigorous aerobic activity with
strength exercises.30 grams
Our fibre target is 30g a day but
most of us only manage 18. Emma
advises, “Aim for a balance of
insoluble (wholegrains, brown rice,
fruit and veg with skins, nuts
and seeds) and soluble fibre
(oats, fruits and vegetables,
flaxseeds and beans).20 minutes
Don’t spend longer than this at a
computer screen without taking
a break, says Dr Clare O’Donnell,
optometrist at Optegra specialist
eye hospital group (optegra.com).
“Follow the 20/20 rule. Look up
from your screen every 20 minutes
and focus on something 20 feet
away for 20 seconds.”18.5-24.9 BMI
The medical tool used to calculate
whether people are in the correct
weight range divides weight by
height – and this figure is the
target range for healthy adults. Dr
Vishnubala explains that less than
18.5 is underweight, between 25
and 29.9 is overweight and above
30 is classed as clinically obese.
However, this system doesn’t tell
you how your weight is made up,
so if you are muscular, measuring
body fat with callipers or smart
scales could be of more use.37 and 31½in
Men’s ideal waist measurement
(taken where the belly button is)
is 37 and women’s is 31½. NHSDirect recommends men with a
waist measurement of 102cm
(40in) or more and women with
a waist of 88cm (34in) seek
advice from their GP. “A good rule
of thumb is that your waist
measurement should be half
your height,” says Horizon’s Dr
Michael Mosley (thefast800.com).
“Take a piece of string and
measure from your head to your
feet. Then take the measured
string length and wrap it in half.
This should be the healthy
circumference of your waist.”42 mmol/mol
Tests for Type 2 diabetes measure
the amount of sugar attached to
red blood cells in the body and a
healthy person should have blood
glucose levels of less than 42
mmol/mol. Dr Vishnubala says,
“Forty-two to 48 represent
prediabetes, while 48 and above
indicate diabetes.6-8 hours
We all need our zeds – but try
not get too many of them. Six
to eight hours is the optimum