Taking an annual blood test could help us to stay fitter for longer, say experts. They also explain why and offer other simple but effective health habits.

专家表示，每年验验血可以使我们更加健康长寿。他们还解释了其中的原因并提供了其他几个简单却有效的健康习惯。

Take a cold shower

洗冷水澡

According to the experts, a cold shower puts stress on the body, working like exercise to stimulate it. Scientists found that shivering stimulates the conversion of energy-storing “white fat” into energy-burning “brown fat”.

专家指出，洗冷水澡为身体施加了压力，其效果就像通过锻炼来刺激身体一样。科学家发现，打冷战有助于把储存能量的“白色脂肪”转化为消耗能量的“棕色脂肪”。

Don’t get into sleep debt

确保睡眠充足

Missing just 30 minutes of sleep per day on weekdays can lead to obesity, say scientists. Because of social and work commitments, people often accumulate sleep debt during weekdays and make up for lost sleep over the weekend. But this may lead to long-term metabolic disruption, which can promote the onset, or exacerbate the progression, of type 2 diabetes.

科学家表示，在工作日每天只少睡30分钟就可能导致肥胖。因为社交和工作上的投入，人们在工作日往往睡眠不足，然后在周末补觉，但是这样会导致长期代谢紊乱，致使人们患上二型糖尿病或使病情恶化。

Keep moving

不断运动

Opening your bowels every morning is an effective way to improve your health. Constipation can lead to haemorrhoids , diverticulitis , bleeding and discomfort. Moreover, scientists reported an association between chronic constipation and an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer. Staying hydrated and taking regular exercise can also help to prevent constipation.

每天早晨清清肠胃是改善健康的一种有效方式。便秘会引起痔疮、憩室炎、失血及身体不适。而且，科学家指出长期便秘会增加患结肠直肠癌的风险。多喝水并且定期运动也有助于防止便秘。

Take a regular blood test

定期验血

Cardiovascular disease causes more than a quarter of all deaths in the UK . One of the main risk factors is high levels of low-density lipoproteins – known as “bad” cholesterol, which can cause fatty material to build up in artery walls. “Knowing your lipid levels can really motivate you to make the changes to diet and exercise to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease,” says Dr Anders Lycksell. “Regular testing can provide a good understanding of how specific changes to diet and exercise regimes affect your blood markers.”

英国全部死亡人口中逾四分之一是由心血管疾病引起的。主要风险因素之一就是人体中低密度脂蛋白的含量过高。低密度脂蛋白又被称为“有害的”胆固醇，它会使脂肪物质在动脉壁上聚集。“知道你的血脂水平真的可以激励你做出改变，合理饮食并保持锻炼来减少患心血管疾病的风险，”安德斯·理克赛尔博士说道。“定期检测血脂水平可以让你更好地了解在饮食和运动上做出的特定改变会如何影响你的血液标示物。”

Drink more coffee

多喝咖啡

A new Spanish study has found that higher coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of death due to heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease.

西班牙的一项新研究发现，多喝咖啡可以降低由心脏病、癌症、中风、糖尿病以及肾脏疾病引发死亡的风险。

Try fasting

尝试禁食

“There’s lots of evidence fasting is good for you,” says Dr van Tulleken. “I miss breakfast to help me control my calorie intake.” Researchers found that periodic fasting not only lowers the risk of coronary artery disease and diabetes, but also causes significant changes in a person’s blood-cholesterol levels. Both diabetes and elevated cholesterol are known risk factors for coronary heart disease.

“许多证据表明禁食对你是有好处的，”范·图勒肯博士说道。“不吃早饭可以帮助我控制卡路里的摄取量。”研究人员发现，间歇性禁食不仅可以降低患冠状动脉疾病以及糖尿病的风险，还会极大地改变人们血液中胆固醇的含量，而糖尿病以及胆固醇水平过高都是导致冠心病的风险因素。

Get scrambled

多吃鸡蛋

Eating eggs was usually thought to cause high cholesterol. But now official advice from the British Heart Foundation says eating up to one egg a day does not increase heart-disease risk in healthy individuals, and can form part of a healthy diet.

人们通常认为吃鸡蛋会使胆固醇水平升高，但是如今来自英国心脏病基金会的官方建议称，健康的人每天吃一个鸡蛋不会增加患心脏病的风险，而且可以作为健康饮食的一部分。

（翻译：Dlacus）