え、ほんと？読書する人は、しない人より長生きするって（研究結果）

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Girls and Boys Looking at the Same Textbook in a Classroom at Primary School

これを読むと、読書がますます楽しくなるかもしれない。

読書と健康の関係を調べたイェール大学の研究で、「読書をする人たちはしない人たちに比べ、長生きする傾向が格段に増す」という研究結果が発表された。

学術誌「ソーシャルサイエンス＆メディスン」に掲載されたこの研究では、3635人の参加者たちを、最長12年間に渡って調査した。アメリカでは、読書を好むのは大学教育を受けた比較的所得の高い女性、という傾向があるため、研究者たちは、参加者たちの性別や、学歴、収入、年齢、人種、自己申告による健康状態、うつの傾向、雇用状況、結婚の有無などの条件を調整して、調査を行った。

参加者たちの読書に電子書籍も含まれるかどうかは明らかにされていない。しかし研究の結果、本を読む人たちは、読まない人に比べ、平均2年長生きした。また、一週間の読書時間が3時間半以下だった人たちは17%、3時間半以上だった人は23%、死亡する率が低かった。

新聞や雑誌を読む人も、読まない人に比べて死亡率は低かったが、本ほど大きな違いは観察されなかった。

「1日にわずか30分読書をした人が、しなかった人より死亡する割合が低かったのです」と、イェール大学で疫学を教えるベッカ・R・レヴィー博士はニューヨークタイムズ紙にコメントしている。

しかし一つ気になるのは、読書は体を動かす必要がほとんどないことだ。いくつもの研究から、体を動かさない生活は健康に悪影響を与えるとわかっている。100歳まで生きた人たちの中にも「長寿の秘訣は体を動かすこと」と話した人もいる。

一方で、読書好きな人は家にいるから外の危険にさらされず、生存率が高くなったのかもしれない。

読書と健康の関係を調べた研究はまだ多くない。今後さらなる研究が行われれば、もっと多くのことがわかるだろう。

それまで、読書でもしてのんびり待ちましょうか。

ハフポストUS版に掲載された記事を翻訳しました。

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睡眠不足による健康リスク

脳卒中のリスクが増大する(01 of08)

Even without the typical risk factors, like being overweight or having a family history, short sleep can up your risk for stroke, according to 2012 research. Adults who regularly slept fewer than six hours a night had four times the risk of stroke symptoms, HuffPost reported. (credit:Alamy)

肥満につながりやすい(02 of08)

Too little sleep can spur some less-than-ideal food choices, including serving yourself larger portions, and a hankering for junk food, thanks to some complicated hormonal changes that occur when you don\'t get sufficient shuteye. It seems that six hours of sleep or less bumps up production of the hunger hormone ghrelin and limits leptin, which helps you balance your food intake, according to a 2012 review of 18 studies of sleep and appetite. (credit:Shutterstock)

糖尿病のリスクが増大する(03 of08)

A pair of small studies from 2012 examined the link between poor sleep and insulin resistance, a telltale risk factor for diabetes. One found that among healthy teenagers, the shortest sleepers had the highest insulin resistance, meaning the body is not using insulin effectively, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The second study examined fat cells, in particular, and found that cutting back on sleep increased insulin resistance in these cells, even when diet and calorie intake were restricted, Health.com reported. (credit:Shutterstock)

記憶力が減退する(04 of08)

You probably know that on the days when you are most tired, you\'re forgetful and unfocused -- but sleep deprivation can lead to permanent cognitive issues. The less we sleep, the less we benefit from the memory-storing properties of sleep. But additionally, a lack of sleep can cause \"brain deterioration,\" according to a 2013 study, which may at least in part explain memory loss in seniors. (credit:Alamy)

骨粗鬆症のリスクが増大する？(05 of08)

ラットの実験では、骨粗鬆症のリスクが増大するという結果が出ている。\n\nAt least in rats, long-term sleep deprivation seems to contribute to osteoporosis, according to a 2012 study. Researchers found changes to bone mineral density and bone marrow in the rodents when they were deprived of shuteye over a period of 72 days.\n\n\"If true in humans, and I expect that it may be, this work will have great impact on our understanding of the impact of sleep deprivation on osteoporosis and inability to repair bone damage as we age,\" Steven R. Goodman, Ph.D., editor-in-chief of Experimental Biology and Medicine, said in a statement. (credit:Shutterstock)

癌のリスクが増大する(06 of08)

A small (but growing) body of research suggests that short and poor sleep can up risk for certain types of cancer. A 2010 study found that among 1,240 people screened for colorectal cancer, the 338 who were diagnosed were more likely to average fewer than six hours of sleep a night. Even after controlling for more traditional risk factors, polyps were more common in people who slept less, according to the study.\n\nGetting just six hours of sleep a night has also been linked to an increase of recurrence in breast cancer patients. The study\'s author has pointed to more and better sleep as a possible pathway of reducing risk and recurrence. (credit:Shutterstock)

心臓病のリスクが増大する(07 of08)

The stress and strain of too little sleep can cause the body to produce more of the chemicals and hormones that can lead to heart disease, according to 2011 research. The study found that people who slept for six hours or less each night and have problems staying asleep had a 48 percent higher risk of developing or dying from heart disease. (credit:Shutterstock)

短命になる(08 of08)

睡眠時間が6時間より少ない人を14年間にわたって調べた調査によると、睡眠時間が長い人と比べて4倍短命だったという。\n\nIt\'s not just heart problems that can lead to sleep-deprivation-related death. In fact, short sleepers seem to die younger of any cause than people who sleep about 6.5 to 7.5 hours a night, TIME reported. A 2010 study examined the impact of short sleep on mortality and found that men who slept for less than six hours of sleep a night were four times more likely to die over a 14-year period. The study\'s authors called this link \"a risk that has been underestimated.\" (credit:Flickr:Life Mental Health)

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健康ライフスタイル研究結果読書長寿

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