Marriage can save your life

Lonely singles have twice as many heart attacks and are four times less likely to survive them than people in happy relationships. Cancer, strokes and other diseases are also more common.

It’s why Kiwi-born Professor of Medicine at Monash University, Merlin Thomas, picks being in a relationship as the most important health tip when it comes to to living to a long age. He’s the author of The Longevity List, a new book on the science behind living a long life.

He calls his last chapter DoI really have to find love? the most important. Thomas says love is critical when it comes to longevity. ‘‘At every stage of our adult lives, it seems that those people in a stable relationship are less likely to die than those who are out on their own.

‘‘Despite its obvious limitations, marriage remains one of society’s most useful healthgiving institutions, chiefly through its capacity to enhance and sustain relationships.’’

Thomas says when people feel connected and in a relationship it creates a magical chemistry. ‘‘How do you put that in a pill or in a diet? But it really matters.’’

Elsewhere in the book, Thomas deconstructs popular thoughts and understandings around health.

He says the fat we eat is not intrinsically good or bad, it comes down to how we use it. As with most of his advice, the best path is through moderation.

‘‘You don’t have to give up butter, but you don’t need have to have butter all the time. You don’t have to give up red wine, but you need self control and awareness around intoxication. You don’t have to give up chocolate, but for God’s sake eat the good stuff.’’

Another issue he tackles is the idea we need fresh outside air. He says it was probably true in the old days when houses were full of smoke from fires and cooking, but that’s not the case with today’s modern ventilated homes.

Pollution could even mean the air outside is worse. Thomas points out three times as many people die from noxious fumes from vehicles than they do from car accidents.

What about the evil of sugar? Thomas says one large apple has the same sugar as two cans of soft drink. But sugar in an apple acts differently to sugar in a soft drink. The apple also has fibre, resistance starch and phytonutrients, while the soft drink’s sugar is empty calories. So his advice is to cut back on ‘‘added sugar’’. But not all of it. He says use sugar for special occasions, when it can be happily enjoyed without guilt.

‘‘We need excitements from our lives, but we can’t do it unless we realise the impact on our waistlines and our body chemistry.‘‘

Q The Longevity List, by Professor Merlin Thomas. Exisle Publishing, $35.