A recent study by the University of Oxford on behalf of the British Heart Foundation concluded that men aged 50 and over could expect to live 10 years less if they smoke, have high blood pressure and suffer from increased cholesterol levels.

Published in the British Medical Journal, the study examined 19,000 civil servants between the ages of 40 and 69. They were given a health check between 1967 and 1970, and the survivors re-examined in 1997.

Professor Peter Weissberg, BHF Medical Director, said: “This important study puts a figure on the life-limiting effects of smoking, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It provides a stark illustration of how these risk factors in middle age can reduce life expectancy.

“The good news is that all of us can make changes to help us live a healthy life for longer, even after 50.

“We know that stopping smoking and reducing blood pressure and cholesterol, by lifestyle changes and/or tablets, can prevent the onset of heart disease – and these findings suggest it could make a decade of difference to our lives.

“Although the study only involved men, there is no reason why the same should not apply to women.

“So, I urge all men and women over 40 to have a health check – that all GPs can provide – which will include finding out their blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and starting to address any areas of concern.”

Dr Robert Clarke of the Clinical Trial Service Unit at the University, who led the study, concluded: “We’ve shown that men at age 50 who smoke, have high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels can expect to survive to 74 years of age, while those who have none of these risk factors can expect to live until 83.

“It is precisely this kind of very prolonged follow-up study that is necessary to get these results – that modest differences in heart risk factors can accurately predict significant differences in life expectancy.

“The results give people another way of looking at heart disease risk factors that can be understood more readily.

“If you stop smoking or take measures to deal with high blood pressure or body weight, it will translate into increased life expectancy.”

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