Syracuse (WSYR-TV) -- Ever wonder how long you’ll live? A college professor has come up with a novel way to measure how we take time off our life spans.
Writing in the journal “BMJ,” the Cambridge University professor coins the term “microlife,” which equals a half hour of your life expectancy.
Each time you smoke a cigarette, have more than one alcoholic drink, watch two hours of TV or eat a hamburger you lose a microlife, or half an hour off you lifespan.
You can gain microlives by exercising, reducing alcohol intake, eating fruits and vegetables and taking statin drugs that control cholesterol.
The author admits his system is more for popular than for scientific consumption.
Even so, he says it can be useful for health professionals. Maybe think of a burger as 30 minutes off your life is one way to curb your appetite.
